Middle Market IB vs. Big Company FP&A: Am I Throwing My Career Away?

So I’ve got two job offers and I need to decide ASAP because one of them expires in 5 days 😬

  1. Middle Market Investment Banking: Got an offer from a solid middle market IB firm, which I'm really happy with given that I missed BB recruitment a few months ago. Pay is pretty sweet. But I’ve heard the hours are insane. Exit opportunities should be decent from what I've heard and seen on LinkedIn. I didn't accept it right away because I was in a couple other processes.

  2. FP&A at a Big Tech Company: This morning I secured an offer for an FP&A role at a tech company. Work-life balance should be way better, and the company has a solid rep. The pay isn’t as high as IB, but the benefits are good. Plus, it seems like there’s a lot of room to move up within the company. Manager kinda seemed like a hardo though lowkey.

Don't really know what I wanna do learn long-term, but private equity sounds cool. I don't have the best work ethic though, so I'm considering living the chill life in FP&A. Would that prevent me from exploring PE opportunities down the line?

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