Staying in IBD or… Advice needed

Currently a Senior Associate at one of the BB banks, and I’ve got an offer from a listed company for their internal investment/asset management gig. The role involves managing their existing portfolio rather than making new investments.

Even though the pay they’re offering is 10-15% higher than what I’m making now, I’m worried about missing out on future raises once reaching the VP level next year Spoke to a few friends who are senior investment bankers, and surprisingly most of them suggested me taking the offer - I personally think they just had enough the long hours.

I really enjoyed working in IB, because of the money, prestige and most importantly the intellectual working environment. I’m very detail orientated, and cannot stand inefficiencies and most corporation have this problem.

Any thoughts on whether I should go for it? And do you think it’s possible to hop back into banking if I don’t like the new job after 6 months to 2 years? I’ve been at my current job for 2 years, so I don’t want to look like a total job hopper if I switch again.

4 Comments
 
Most Helpful

I don't know that there's enough information in your post for us to give you the answers you desire. A few things to keep in mind:

  1. Hours, which I assume will be fewer in this new opportunity
  2. Which team you would prefer to have as co-workers
  3. Pay progression over time
  4. Locality
  5. Whether this new opportunity is a career for you, or whether you would need to think about exit options after this and what those would look like

Between all of those things, the picture becomes a bit clearer, and with that constellation of variables, the decision should be pretty clear.

 

Based on the factors you’ve mentioned, investment banking is the answer, but I’m just so confused why all my senior banking friends recommended the other option. IBD has a better pay and is a better career path, the only upside of the other job is slightly fewer hours. In terms of people, they’re pretty similar. IBD colleagues are intelligent and hardworking, I assume colleagues of the other job are more friendly.

 

Facilis sit beatae et commodi ut rem excepturi. Dolorem deleniti labore eius molestiae doloremque voluptate. Autem et voluptatem tenetur.

Velit distinctio et ad repellat nobis asperiores quia. Impedit vel adipisci necessitatibus esse iure saepe et. Doloribus quo suscipit assumenda sit rerum.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”