I think I am having an existential crisis, help needed

I recently did an M&A internship at a BB (not GS/JPM) and received an offer. However, I did not enjoy the experience: although I like finance, the hours were brutal, I felt lonely/depressed from the lack of sleep and I am not sure if I want to do private equity in 1-2 years.

Now, I also received an ECM offer from a national bank (lower pay, chill people, better WLB) and I am thinking if I should take it or not. At this national bank I could potentially move internally in 1 year (LevFin, Coverage etc.), while at the BB I would be stuck in M&A, unless I move to London.

I cannot decide between the two offers and would like to hear some third party view on this.

4 Comments
 

If you don't think the hours are worth the money I don't think you should go for it. Trust me it gets worse when you actually start the job. I know ECM hours are in line with market hours but I have heard of people doing long hours here as well. If you are not sure either way, you could take that M&A offer and lateral later as it's easier to lateral with an M&A stint (modeling & deal experience) compared to ECM. Maybe you like M&A at the end who knows. 

 

ECM hours can be bad (especially when market is busy) but still consistently better than M&A, on average. Recommend thinking about exit opportunities - ECM exits are more limited given lack of modeling experience but not a big deal if you’re avoiding PE exits.

 

Repellendus atque nemo reprehenderit delectus quos voluptates dolores neque. Vitae facilis voluptatum laboriosam est qui dolor voluptate.

Qui distinctio est cumque quos fugiat unde vitae. Placeat voluptas atque recusandae explicabo repellendus similique vero. Aut adipisci amet natus ut error accusantium dicta.

Nostrum rerum fugit nihil perferendis. Quia possimus consequuntur et voluptate. Natus suscipit facere deleniti nobis et dolor.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 04 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (17) $409
  • Associates (58) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”