Stay in EB or recruit for PE?

I’m a senior considering on-cycle and am heading to an EB (PJT/PWP/CVP) right now. Given high banking bonuses, I wanted to get people’s thoughts on how I should be approaching on-cycle recruiting vs staying in banking.

I’ve always wanted to do PE, but in terms of maximizing future comp it seems unless I make MF I might as well stay in IB no? Assume I don’t care at all about WLB. Only at the senior partner level (which is almost impossible to reach outside MM shops) the comp is less than EB banking at every level?

Additionally though with banking then there’s thought about EB —> top BB —> EB to help build client book etc.

2 Comments
 

At one point in time maxing comp isn’t going to be your number 1 anymore, and it’s going to be to have time and flexibility, just make sure to think what will allow you to do everything you want while also being able to speak to your wife from time to time

 

Officiis nam numquam est et dignissimos. Dolore amet sed corrupti officiis sint praesentium fuga nihil.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (77) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (72) $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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
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...”