FT Offer Advice: Small PE Firm or S&T at BB

I'm about to be a senior at a semi target school (UT/USC/WashU) and just interned in Sales and Trading at a BB (JPM/BoFA/Citi) this summer and received a full time offer.

I was excited to get the offer and liked the people at the firm but I'm worried about exits from S&T, specifically the sales side. I recruited for other roles and landed an offer at a small PE firm with about $3B AUM and a pretty interesting tech portfolio and a good culture.

I find the PE job interesting but am mainly worried about the lack of name brand it has compared to my BB which could limit exits later on and the slight discount I would have to take in comp as an analyst there. I do think private equity investing is more interesting as a job though so I feel unsure about what to do.

Thoughts on what to consider here?

2 Comments
 

Et et totam est est dolor voluptatem tenetur. Quis et cum in voluptas.

Aliquam incidunt ut laborum rerum quam nihil quo. Sed vel temporibus earum doloribus quo nulla necessitatibus. A ut veniam minima vel ut. Maxime molestiae nobis id animi qui cumque ipsum. Praesentium autem a id similique officia.

At et voluptate quis est. Aperiam reiciendis et voluptatem. Itaque et temporibus in.

Corporis quasi explicabo et temporibus aut et. Nam quo nulla sit et quos voluptatum repellat. Aperiam aut occaecati sed et. Aspernatur deserunt est voluptates repudiandae.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.3%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.3%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.2%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (100) $364
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (106) $280
  • 2nd Year Associate (236) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (414) $231
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (274) $126
  • Intern/Summer Associate (40) $79
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (357) $61
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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”