How do I decide who and or which firm I want to work for?

To lend some context to this question I just finished reading Barbarians at The Gate. I really enjoyed learning about the characters profiled in the book and how intricate and relationship driven the buyout industry was/is.

I've been an IB analyst in a good group at an MM for several months now and while I don't know much about the industry as a whole, I do know how important it is to work and learn from the right people.

How do I find the PE firm that's right for me? How do I learn about each firms investment strategies and personalities to determine which team I want to take my first few steps into investing with? Am I getting ahead of myself here?

I feel like most people who would be willing to take the time to speak with me during coffee chats don't really think about this kind of stuff as much. They just took the best offer from the best firm they got. I'm not saying that their isn't anything necessarily wrong with that approach... but I don't really want to do that because I wont be as invested.

Lots of firms like to throw around the idea that they harbor an "entrepreneurial spirit" and develop talent through an "apprenticeship model". What does that even mean in practice? Are there actually firms out there with MDs and Partners interesting in grooming associates to be able to generate deals for the firm? I doubt it. I never even see my MDs.

Sorry if this is a rant, but it really seems as though ones career in IB/Buyside doesn't start until the SVP+ level. Maybe I should just chill, clock in my years, and stop getting ahead of myself?