What career do you actually want?

Graduating and starting in IB but feeling a little lost on what to do as a career long term. I have a lower GPA but from a good school, and planning on taking gmat/gre within next 16mo to keep option for Masters/MBA open. Curious what everyone's end goal is on here. My thoughts:

IB - Seems to get more fun as you get senior, but the stress of constantly needing to sell in my 40s with 90% of comp tied to this doesn't seem sustainable

PE - Interesting but I'm put off with recruiting. Don't have the best gpa coming out of undergrad and with timelines moving up, that'll be weighed more. Also put off by MBA requirements for snr/VP promo, don't like the idea that $250k is a requirement for a job

HF/Public Equities - I don't think this is the path for me.

Private Credit - seems interesting but honestly don't know much about it. Are there any IB groups that best set you up for this?

VC/Growth Equity - most interesting to me but not a lot of opps

CorpDev/Similar Corp Jobs - would be nice at the right company, like the hours, but not the pay

Full Career Switch/MBA - would love to hear stories of people who've done this.

Maybe I'm limiting my view too much?

1 Comments
 

Ab amet dolorum non expedita aut. Non id perspiciatis facere accusantium. Voluptates quod cupiditate eum et id.

Tempora aut nostrum eum non. Aliquam et aut et. Sit iusto itaque recusandae maxime quas provident dolore. Quos voluptatem est et possimus occaecati neque quis. Quia nihil nesciunt ut.

Dignissimos illum corrupti alias vel. Temporibus consequatur odio quidem nihil vitae excepturi. Assumenda et sit voluptatibus eum quod aliquid. Officia enim impedit fugiat quis. Eaque inventore perspiciatis laborum sunt sint delectus. Corporis explicabo quia vel eius et id possimus.

Commodi autem tempore ut magni blanditiis. Dolores iure sint accusantium veniam suscipit excepturi facilis. Ipsam recusandae cumque omnis explicabo ad cupiditate neque perferendis.

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

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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

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...”