Is it worth going in to PE knowing I don't want to do it long term?

Similar to banking, I am thinking about working in PE for 2 years to have further validation on my resume and gain reps around deal sourcing and diligence such that I can utilize those skills in future endeavors. I think I know pretty certainly that I don't want to grind it out in financial services or investing long term, I would rather pursue a more entrepreneurial role, but I still think the work/life experience from IB/PE will be valuable even if I go down that path. How would you view/approach this? Also tbh I like the prestige for now, it affords me life experience I wouldn't have if I worked an easier job tbh.

14 Comments
 

I think it's a great idea. If you want to do entrepreneurship long-term, it will give you experience at both sides of the table - investing and operating. Also, the prestige of doing PE on your resume will help. Lastly, almost every exit opportunity is at your hands after so if you don't know what you want to do now, you'll definitely keep all doors open.

 
Most Helpful

The only thing to add here - you can use this as an opportunity to get adjacent experience in something you want to learn more about, vs going to generalist MMPE where you bid on everything and suddenly pretend to be knowledgeable about a bunch of industries that you actually have no clue about lol. For example:

  • Smaller funds / first-time funds / new strategies: really good exposure in entrepreneurial environments. being on the ground level for creating DD, fundraising, portfolio management, etc processes is actually really useful. Too many PE associates at established firms don't know a thing about creating processes, they just follow them. This is differentiated. Best combo is a first-time strategy within an existing larger PE fund.
  • Industry-specific: This should be obvious, but you get super deep into a certain industry - builds your network and subconscious knowledge very well. Flipside, you only know that one industry
  • Strategy: growth vs value, concentrated operational focus vs. diversified less operational focus. You learn about much different things. Board room at operational / growth-oriented buyout is very different from value-oriented. Think about what you can attain here and if it's applicable to what you wanna do long-term

The above are pretty obvious, but can give you a second-order thinking of what you want to get out of the experience.

 

PE is a great place to get an investor mindset. A lot of the juniors on my corp dev/strategy team are ex-PE guys, including those formerly from my sponsor, and are rockstars! I think it's helpful to know how the sponsor thinks, especially when you're doing corporate work for a sponsor-backed company. I also know people who have made great careers as operators working on port-cos for a PE firm where they were previously associates in. If you know you want to do operating work, you would actively seek out these firms as they often parachute you into portfolio work with a lot of responsibility. 

 

Dolore non quos delectus ea. Sit veniam perspiciatis nihil excepturi ullam earum. Placeat similique cupiditate pariatur ut. Qui harum facere consequuntur nihil voluptatem ut. Qui laudantium neque laboriosam eaque minima.

Dolore ea voluptas hic aliquam magni a omnis. Dolorem aut quidem itaque quia deserunt sint.

Cupiditate natus quo velit ad nostrum laboriosam. Molestias voluptate nihil sint voluptatem.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

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

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Private Equity

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

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (98) $365
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (272) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (355) $62
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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”