Why Doesn’t Anyone Talk About Enterprise Sales Paths?

I get it, this is a finance oriented forum. Yet, let’s be real most prospects on here googled “highest paying careers out of undergrad” and set their sights on IB/Consulting when they saw first year analyst pay. Can’t lie I naively did this 10 years ago when I was a young undergrad.

Fast forward in my career and I wish more people talked about enterprise sales related paths. We all know tech sales can pay (I have buddies that were 2.5 gpa poli sci majors clearing $400k+ at 28 with 30 hour weeks), but also sales roles at dealerships (CAT especially), finance & insurance / warranty companies, industrial equipment, and countless others have the best comp ceiling + work/life combo that I’ve seen.

Understand it’s more “risky” but truthfully how many IB folks flare out and settle for $200k jobs in corp dev cranking financial models and due diligence lists? Not many last to make the real money in IB (which is just another sales role anyways). Something to consider for the money hungry undergrads with a touch of drive and personality. 

1 Comments
 

Excepturi nulla esse aperiam veritatis. Laudantium eius blanditiis similique mollitia. Et dolore consequuntur earum est assumenda temporibus reiciendis. Et consequatur esse pariatur aut. Nihil consequatur nostrum consequatur doloribus dolores.

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 (78) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”