Trying to keep it as anon as possible. Senior associate. This is the year when I either jump or become increasingly non-marketable in the buyside recruitment market. Got a buyside offer recently. I have been pretty comfortable with my career path in my current team as I was top bucket for as long as I have been in the team. My boss likes me. I feel valued. I am comfortable with what I do now as I am good at it. Issue is I feel increasingly stuck. I don’t see myself doing my boss’s job in the future. Deal flow in the team has not been great for the last two years (tho not a team specific thing). While I received strong feedback and was rated top bucket the last few years, the team is currently top heavy, unless redundancy / churn happens, I feel less certain of my promotion. The upside is I am in a good bank and there are always opportunities to move to other parts of the bank and I do value career mobility and opportunities from that perspective.
The slight downside of moving to buyside now is I will stay back as a senior associate for a while. I finished university later than my peers given medical reasons. I’m now at that age (30+) where I feel I am getting too old to be an associate. The shop that extended me an offer offers equal comp to my current role so financially I don’t expect to be better off (albeit with carry in the future). Also, I am female and while I don’t want a family now, I would like one in 3-4 years. I am not sure if buyside offers better work life balance than banking given lean deal team structure. I am guessing I am just looking for some educated advice, especially those who moved to buy-side later than others or those who are also in my shoes, 30+ and moving to stay as an (senior) associate. While a promotion in my current team is not guaranteed and my ultimate motivation to move was to do something different, I feel I am still taking a risk in moving given above reasons and a job is a job at the end of the day.
Thank you for reading.
Ah, the classic conundrum of career progression versus the allure of the buy-side! Let's swing through the jungle of your options:
Current Bank Prospects:
Buy-Side Considerations:
Personal Considerations:
Based on the most helpful WSO content, here's a bit of advice:
Remember, a job might be a job, but your career is a journey. Sometimes, the path less traveled offers the richest experiences. Whatever you decide, make sure it's a step towards your ultimate happiness and fulfillment. Swing high, swing proud, and trust your instincts!
Sources: A2A vs Buyside - Should I stay in banking?, https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/private-equity/going-from-mm-investment-bank-to-mega-fund?customgpt=1, Stand Out as a Non-Target: Career Management (Part 4 of 4), Advice on career and the switch into investment banking, Loyalty v career progression
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