PE intellectually stimulating ??
Is PE really any more meaningfully intellectually engaging that banking? There’s some components I really like about banking, thinking about val points / adjustments, learning how a company operates etc. However hard to see past the pointless briefing notes, industry universes, and other monkey tasks.
PE seems interesting in that I assume there’s a heavier focus on thinking about valuation, but do all the boring / menial tasks still take up most of the day?
PE has a ton of mundane tasks as well - writing memos / creating IC decks, quarterly valuations, painfully detailed operating models way beyond any semblance 80 / 20 etc. I think at the associate level it can be very painful IF you're just a number cruncher. However, a good VP / MD will show the associate why what they're doing is important, how it moves the process forward, and what the deal thesis is. They will help the associate start thinking like an investor.
I think the job gets more interesting at the VP level, but still pretty mind-numbing at times when it's the 5th process you've quarterbacked and QoE's, lender calls, etc all start sounding the same.
The job is the most interesting at the MD level - you have a team underneath you to do the mundane work and you're involved in thesis development, negotiations, winning the deal if it's a competitive process, and fundraising. But it's also when you're truly in a risk-taking seat - i.e., it's your head on the chopping block if your deals do poorly.
If you don't want to grind 10+ years to make it to a risk-taking seat, join a HF.
Thanks mate, very helpful
Great post and I completely agree with your Associate takes. I’m at a firm within a small vertical and our MD really pushes the juniors to think about what the data we’re analyzing is telling us within the context of evaluating the business and investment opportunity. Deal evaluation is normally pretty collaborative. I’ve talked to other Associates at my firm that just crank away on data analysis and modeling without providing much input on the actual investment thesis, etc. It really is hit or miss. Because of my experience, I’d say that it’s pretty intellectually stimulating but I’m also a nerd that loves the pure data analysis and market research side of diligence
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