Would you work in IB if you were in my position?

So I recently graduated from a non brand name school, going to a top MSF program in US/Europe along with pretty solid prospects to land a MM offer. Have been networking hard, have had a several month boutique IB internship and other F500/Investment Management internships, and feel pretty good about it overall.

I have two older siblings, both working good jobs in F500, who have pretty solid paths so far. My father is a senior executive and recently joined a booming company approaching IPO, probably has multi 8 figures coming in the next 3-4 years, on top of 8 figures of assets already (farm land, residential properties, stocks, etc...), said and done will probably have around $40-50MM total.

I want to work a few years in the corporate world/industry just to pick up more of the soft skills, professional mindset, etc... but down the road my parents can get me involved in the family business, growing more in the real estate/franchising space. Part of my goal in working is to travel through work to see more of the world, learn about different cultures and ways of living, etc...

It seems like IB would just be a big grind for the money but that isn't really the most important criteria to me. I think corporate banking or even investment management might be a better vertical, through the former I could travel for work, and with the latter I can have the time to travel on my own/with friends & family.

Any thoughts?

2 Comments
 

In my humble opinion, do IB. If you spend 18 months in IB and leave nobody will bat an eye. There are so many roles that require that sniff of banking. Won’t even consider you if you don’t have it. It’s great that it looks good for your family, but what if things fall out, etc. There are so many people who have had that happen. IB will be great experience but also open doors for you outside of your family. Like I said, if you lateral into something else in 18 months and your story was that it wasn’t the right fit virtually every hiring manager will empathize. There is a reason a significant portion of threads on WSO are about exits.

 
Most Helpful

Rerum qui iusto vero mollitia temporibus. Sed qui fugiat dolore voluptates vel voluptatem. Quia dolor numquam repellendus omnis odit. Dignissimos dolores quam excepturi.

Rerum et dolore a est recusandae. Quia minus est consequatur possimus ut a autem. Consequuntur harum eum fugiat consequuntur magni. Fuga nihil modi ipsa repudiandae. Quia enim cumque quis animi. Quaerat esse ratione id voluptate aliquid sed et. Ut dolorem repudiandae iure sit unde repellendus debitis.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • 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 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan No 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”