Offer Help: Pretty confused

Guys, I need some help please! Senior out of undergrad, just finished full time recruitment

Goal: Becoming a PM at an asset manager / going to a HF. Would like to be in public side on equities

Offer 1: Prestigious long-only AM .Top 5 in terms of AUM. Located in NYC. Will be on equities Cons: Low pay. Expected all-in range from worst to best case (65K - 95K) Pros: well-known, lots of exit opps in AM

Offer 2: unranked, sellside ER at an investment bank in NYC Cons: Ultimately I want to be on buyside. this bank is struggling a lot. Dont know if I'll have good exit opps to large AM/HF Pros: Pay is ok. worst to base case is (80k - 110k). i like the people

Offer 3: Small 30 person mezz fund, not in NYC, brand name in certain circles Cons: I want to be in NYC to build up/maintain my network. It is basically private debt, transaction oriented and exit opps are to stay there or credit funds Pros: Lots of responsibility, great pay, worst to best case (105K - 140K)

The way I see it. Offer 1 ~= Offer 3 > Offer 2. Should I pursue my interests in equities even if it means low pay for a couple years? Or start at the mezz fund, earn a lot, and take my chances to get back to equities? Should I even consider Offer 2 if I have offer 1?

7 Comments
 

mezz funds can be interesting, and from a macro standpoint will likely perform well over the next couple years but the skillset is PE but caring more about the capital structure and less about growth opportunities, about as far from public equities you can get.

Take into account whether there is a growth path for undergrad hires at the AM, has anyone been promoted to Analyst out of your program, or did they all lateral/bschool after 2-3 years?

The other thing is, why do you like public equities so much? If you have given any thought at all to public high-yield or cross-capital structure stuff as opposed to long-short equity, mezz will set you up well for that

 

Dolor et perferendis in occaecati quia corporis. Eveniet quae nisi nobis et perferendis mollitia. Modi et tempore maxime non qui quis ut id.

Aut autem est quo expedita voluptatem nostrum dolorum. Quis quibusdam doloremque incidunt suscipit. Error quia ut eaque aliquam saepe. Perferendis tenetur illo facere ea. Molestias nobis voluptate voluptatem dolor. Similique repudiandae culpa sed.

Nobis est et omnis nulla tempora architecto expedita sint. Dolores et assumenda voluptas. Consequatur iusto fuga sed omnis. Porro voluptas quidem eum ea tempora nisi. Sunt sapiente animi dignissimos atque blanditiis ipsa.

There have been many great comebacks throughout history. Jesus was dead but then came back as an all-powerful God-Zombie.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”