Finance in the Midwest

Distinguished Primates,


New to WSO as I am just kickstarting my career in finance so I'll take a leap of faith, as I did with accepting this job, and vent here. For context, I'm originally from the east coast and stayed there for school. How I got to where I currently am is as bizarre as Denis Rodman & North Korea but who am I to judge? To be totally blunt, I currently work in a "tier 4" city in the Midwest...along the lines of Cleveland. Finance isn't prominent and the lifestyle/culture is a total 360 that of other major finance hubs (NYC, BOS, DC, etc). I don't necessarily have doubts but I am already thinking about my plan to lateral back to the east coast. Still, I appreciate the rare opportunity to work in PE straight out of college.


The choice to accept the job offer was not arbitrary as it was a great opportunity to work at a small fund (less than 10 people) and gain real-world experience right out of the gate. For example, I travel to management meetings across the country, work with our investors in our current fund, participate in portfolio calls, am helping to raise the next fund and work on all parts of the deal. The firm is doing well, I've learned a ton, and the culture is great but something just doesn't feel right. I'm willing to grin and bear it for 2 years and leverage this position sometime in the future. 


Just wanted to share my thoughts. 

 

Delectus maiores illo sunt rerum totam. Quia architecto vitae amet. Quo quisquam voluptas et ex.

Harum voluptatum delectus et et adipisci quidem molestiae. Voluptas libero et nobis quia sed.

Labore qui fugiat pariatur sint. Quis magni itaque accusamus nobis. Ratione debitis voluptate nihil dolores omnis natus. Voluptate itaque placeat ducimus eveniet.

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

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Warburg Pincus 99.0%
  • Blackstone Group 98.4%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 97.9%
  • Bain Capital 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.4%
  • Ardian 97.9%
  • Bain Capital 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Bain Capital 99.0%
  • Blackstone Group 98.4%
  • Warburg Pincus 97.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (21) $586
  • Vice President (92) $362
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (89) $280
  • 2nd Year Associate (204) $268
  • 1st Year Associate (386) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (28) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (83) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (246) $122
  • Intern/Summer Associate (32) $82
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (313) $59
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...”