Tech vs Commodities Trading

After reading all the funny posts and comments on this website for so long, I finally need to ask for some help.

I'm currently deciding between two offers - one in big tech/FAANG (which is a return offer from junior summer) and the other at a commodities trading firm (ABCD). I was really into trading for a while and want to do something in more traditional finance (not engineering or tech related stuff). That being said, I've only worked in quant before and I know jack shit about commodities. For context, I am a senior at HYPSM in a STEM field, and I'm not that interested in IB/consulting.

From what I've heard, the hours are pretty comparable (9-5) and I liked my team this past summer a lot, as I did all of the people at the trading firm. that I interviewed with. My biggest issue is the compensation. The trading firm's base (bonus is merit based) is less than half of my total compensation at FAANG. However, I've heard that the salary can grow exponentially in trading, while there's rather slow growth in tech (there were people on my team at the same level for the past 5+ years). I would greatly appreciate any advice or insights you have, as I have around 14 hours left to make the decision (found out about the other offer last night lol).

1 Comments
 

Et incidunt debitis dolores consequuntur nihil minus. Nihil veniam voluptatem qui sint dicta. Qui ad ex consequatur reiciendis excepturi enim.

Officiis molestiae deserunt earum distinctio. Voluptatibus qui velit ut qui.

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

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 04 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 (17) $409
  • Associates (58) $261
  • 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

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...”