IB -> PE -> Strategy -> IB -> PE
Had a fairly standard EB + MF path to start my career, didn’t get a return offer and MBA recruiting sucked, so I took a strategy job in industry that’s honestly not a finance job at all, very product / “corporate.”
Have been trying to break back into PE for a while to little success—I’m too weird and risky for LMMs who can hire from sector-specific banks or groups and I’m too off the path to succeed at MM/UMMs. Basically I need to get back into finance in a bad bad way. Is it a pipe dream if I attempt to break back into the sellside with the intent to then break back into the buyside down the road? I found banking so draining compared to investing but every year I’m not at least adjacent to transactions I can sense funds thinking I’m more and more washed…
Hey friend —
I hate to be a bit negative here but at this point, I’d ask “WHY” do you even want to do PE to yourself at this point . I’d imagine you’re in your late 20s early 30s, maybe thinking about kids and marriage etc, do you really want to subject yourself to starting at the bottom/ the grind of PE?
I would imagine maybe it’s partially FOMO— you’re incredibly accomplished and have nothing to prove.
The other thing , that I hate to say, is you’ve kind of also gotten a lot of market feedback about PE not being a fit. What makes you so confident you are right and they’re all wrong ?
Anyways maybe I’m totally off here and I’m sure there is someone’s who has the trajectory you’re hoping to have. I also think that perseverance is a hugely important trait so only love to ya.
Not a downer at all. The reality is that few people get MF return offers and in a different market lateraling to another fund would have been pretty easy historically post-MBA. Is that a signal that I’m not a fit for the industry or a signal that the market sucks?
The lateral market is tough but you should have at least been able to land something. I am at a MM fund and all our leavers that were kicked out and wanted to stay found decent seats (~1B fund).
The other option is to do b school. You can still do that now.
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