How important is your SA choice really?

Received SA offer from lower tier BB that I’m happy about. Some processes are still going on, but I do not want to renege.

My question is: how important is it REALLY where you start as a SA? Are the exit ops that much different from a lower tier BB to an EB? If I want those top caliber options, will I have to lateral? Because if so, I’m best off trying my luck now in the recruiting process.

9 Comments
 

Depends on your career goals. Wanting to be a career banker gives you flexibility on how prestigious your SA experience is. However, the bank you do a summer analyst program at kind of sets a baseline for where you end up full time. Let’s say you get an offer at KeyBanc or BNP and you want to re-recruit full time. You may want to go the route of going for reputable MMs and solid regionals/balance sheet banks like Mizuho or WF. Not to say you can’t get a BB/EB offer, but your summer analyst experience does hold you back even though people like to say it doesn’t. This comes from someone who didn’t have the most elite SA offer and did re-recruitment.

 

Do your summer analyst stint and then look into FT lateraling. Also of note, if you are at the following groups at the banks you mentioned, UMM/MF is possible from the group itself: 

UBS: LevFin/Sponsors and MAYBE Tech(though these all seemed to be previous to SVB exits by seniors, so perhaps no longer, but historic reputation should be there so experiences may vary)

Barclays: PU&I, Sponsors, Tech, Healthcare, and Industrials(Barclays is by far the best bank here as evidenced by the number of groups with good exits btw)

RBC : PU&I and MAYBE M&A(terrible hours though)

DB: REGL and MAYBE LevFin/Sponsors

 

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