Money vs Prestige | Have I Limited Myself?

*disregard user tag

I was given the choice between opinions A and B out of UG. I went with A due to my interest in the sector, higher pay, and smaller deal team. After seeing the day to day work analysts do, I am worried that the learning curve will nearly entirely flatten out after 2 years, and that I have limited my future career mobility (mainly looking at large cap US strategies) by starting off in a smaller firm in FoFHave I greatly reduced my odds at US large cap strategies or am I over estimating the effect of starting off in a small shop vs a more well known BB for IB?

A: US FoF firm that well known in the space but not discussed outside our strategy, 210k total comp, 

B: BB IB in a group which has solid pipelines to shops like HIG and Stone Point. More "prestigious" that A mainly due to its size. Would have been 160k comp as a first year (guessing so I could be off)

*I have the ability through a deferred MBA program to go to MIT/Sloan/CBS within the next years. Hoping to use that to pivot.

3 Comments
 

You are overestimating the effect of starting in a smaller shop than a better known, "prestigious" one. 

The smaller shop is willing to pay to 30% more in a sector that interests you? Sounds like the correct decision. If you find that you have trouble lateralling to your desired shop, just go to one of the top b-schools you got into and pivot after graduation. None of this really sounds like a problem to me OP

 
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