Career advice - investment side at a small firm or corp dev at a larger one?

Hi all, looking to get some thoughts on a potential career move. Currently working in corp fin/corp dev at a large private equity firm. Have been exploring the opportunity to move into the investment team at a smaller, real estate focused PE shop.

Any thoughts on the pros and cons between these paths in terms of work/life balance, compensation, learning, and having engaging/fulfilling work?

502 WSO Academy Private Equity Session Reviews: 4.82/5

Pontifical Catholic University of Peru

Class of '18 Nov 2026 Cohort

5.00/5

Private Equity Career Roadmap (optional)

“I had my roadmap session with Arnau, and it was extremely valuable. As he is also a civil engineer from Spain, I felt comfortable from the start, and he quickly understood my background and career goals. He helped me identify the roles and types of companies I should target given my experience in infrastructure and project finance. He also gave me practical advice on how to position my profile and prioritize my applications. He is clearly very committed to his mentees, and his guidance was honest and tailored to my situation. I left the session with a much clearer plan, and I will definitely book another session with him in the future.”

Class of '23 Oct 2026 Cohort

5.00/5

Private Equity Short Resume Review / Recap

“Very good planning prior to the meeting and effective notes that allowed the session to go quickly and effectively. We covered a lot of topics on the resume and I recieved a good amount of notes that I can correct my resume in order to make it more specific for the PE companies I will work with. Was very helpful in the way of bringing out niche skills I have in order to maximise my chances at differentiating myself from more typical IB candidates. Also provided good insights on the MBA process, what is valuable and the WHY side of P.E. which I will go into depth with in my WHY statements that I am going to do. ”

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Career advice - investment side at a small firm or corp dev at a larger one?

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Career advice - investment side at a small firm or corp dev at a larger one?

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