Is IB Still A Good Place To Start A Career, If One's Career Goals Are AM Or Trading?

Eventually, I think I want to be a portfolio manager (and probably fixed income instead of equities) or potentially a trader. I've always just assumed that starting my career in IB didn't make much sense, because I figured the couple years of training as an analyst would not be particularly relevant for these careers. Am I right? Or is 2 years at an IB still a good option?

2 Comments
 
Best Response

Generally, you are correct. Although IB does give a decent skill set for some different strategies (Merger Arb, Value investing, Credit trading (if you are in DCM or get a lot of exposure to debt during your analyst stint)).

In the end, it's a FO job so transfering within the bank is not out of the question and it can set you up with B-school if you need to get into another recruiting cycle

Perhaps it is the computer age, but people today (including myself at times) never look more than 6 months into the future and take into account, that what you do today does not mean you will be stuck doing it for the rest of your life.

"Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA."
 

Consequuntur quo consequatur aut est nam vitae dolores voluptates. Nam vel esse sit aut quaerat. Quas dignissimos quidem omnis laboriosam sint vero. Dolor iure beatae quo rerum voluptas magni.

--Death, lighter than a feather; duty, heavier than a mountain

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 03 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (53) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (27) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (15) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
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...”