Is Finance Saturated?

The sense I get from most of you on this forum, is that finance is incredibly saturated. When I ask how someone lands a mediocre AM job, I'm usually told that it's incredibly tough, you have to know the right people, have the right degrees, get lucky, etc. I'm posting this, because I'd like to get your guys opinion on the topic. How saturated/unsaturated is finance? Are there ample opportunities out there these days? Should a lot of us be considering other industries?

8 Comments
 
Best Response

Well the financial industry has contracted a lot and is maybe just beginning to expand a little. Lets remember we have lost two very large firms (Bear and Lehman). Those jobs aren't coming back. Plus this are a lot of talented people who are willing to take these entry jobs. If this was 3-5 years ago I think finding a job would be much easier.

Finance is like this. Tons of people want the top spots. Very few get the spots. Those that don't take BO roles, sales, big 4 accounting, commercial banking, corp finance, etc. When you expand the world of finance to include all of these other opportunities then you will realize how wide open it really is.

Econ, hit me up. I might be able to help you.

 

When I go to interviews and I see the quality of currently out of job finance people I am competing with, it certainly seems like finance is saturated. I'd probably change my mind if I could get a damn job, but for now...

Still not sure if I want to spend the next 30+ years grinding away in corporate finance and the WSO dream chase or look to have enough passive income to live simply and work minimally.
 

Quam molestiae aut consequatur debitis est autem. Similique ipsum mollitia et error quo assumenda ut. Totam facere numquam voluptatum. Ipsa reiciendis quo ad distinctio placeat labore voluptatem voluptatem. Quibusdam assumenda at in.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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...”