PE to Tech Advice
TLDR: Top CS Program -> MBB -> PE Assoc, which tech role (PM, SWE, Other) should I target to make $300k+ while fully remote? Extra points if I get some benefit for having done MBB
Hi Folks, I wanted to ask for some help navigating a potential career move back to tech. A little background on me: I went to a top (very top) CS program but ended up doing MBB consulting (one of McKinsey / Bain / BCG) for 2 years as a generalist to hopefully broaden my exposure out of school. I am now in a Private Equity Associate program and am deciding how to approach a potential move back to tech.
I’m looking for 2 out of the following 3 things in my next position, ideally all of them:
- At least $300k TC all / vast majority cash
- Remote / WFH, with international flexibility (personally don’t enjoy US cities). For me to tolerate SF / NYC I would need $500+
- Some “step up” as a result of my experience in MBB. These were 2 years of $90k TC and 80+ hour weeks, while my friends from college were making multiples working half as long; I’d be able to sleep better at night knowing this ordeal wasn’t a total waste :)
A couple other pieces of info that may be relevant:
- I develop and operate a side project in the crypto space, since ~1 year ago. It’s not a smashing success by any means, but I’m learning a lot in the process and keeping my coding sharp despite working outside the industry.
- I have begun grinding leetcode preemptively and expect to be interview-ready by the end of Q1.
I wanted to ask WSO which roles you’d suggest I go for, among SWE, PM, or something else entirely given my criteria above and experience. Additionally, would appreciate advice from others who’ve navigated a similar situation. Thanks very much for your help
Bonus Question: Let’s say hypothetically, I wanted to maximize $ earned for 3-5 years, after which I’d quit and start my own company. Which role (that I have a reasonable chance of being able to access given my background) would be best for that, and how much?
Get a SWE role at Citadel. New grads are making 475k lol.
Even in this market, I think $300K all-in is going to be a stretch. Unfortunately your PE experience really isn't that valuable to tech companies. There are ex-MBB people without the PE tag who don't have the comp expectations you have.
Considered this option myself with a somewhat similar background and ultimately realized that no tech company would value my experience as much as staying on the investing side. Closest would be Corp Dev, but there actually aren't that many highly acquisitive tech cos out there and they don't need very large teams so those roles aren't in high supply. And even then $300K+ is a stretch.
Someone else mentioned you could go for a SWE role. You of course wouldn't get any credit for MBB/PE so you'd start at entry level, which wouldn't get you close to $300K. You'd probably be somewhere in the $150-200K range initially.
I think your best bet if you're optimizing for comp is to actually look beyond the FAANG tier and march down the list of large but unsexy tech companies. Companies like Hubspot, Qualtrics, Bill.com that don't have quite as many people banging on their door. Especially look for ones that already have a lot of ex- MBB/PE ones there which is a good sign they pay well. I once got pinged by a recruiter for a role at LexisNexis. Didn't go too far down the path but they had so many ex-consulting types, and for such an esoteric company I have to imagine the only way they get so many folks like that is by paying top of market. Another option which I'm sure you're aware of would be PE-backed tech cos where you can get pretty attractive equity packages.
Edited my post a bit - I actually want to rephrase that I do think the MBB experience puts you in a different bucket. The PE experience does not. But most ex-MBB people aren't making $300K all-in at your tenure level and the PE experience doesn't change that.
If you are considering SWE vs. PE I have no idea why you would want to do Seed/Series A VC. It is the least quantitative/technical you can get in finance. Pretty much zero financial modeling/diligence since these companies are so early stage. Yes you would diligence the tech, but you have never really worked in tech and don't have any sort of niche domain expertise at this point in your career. It's pretty much all sourcing/networking and very much a "spray and pray" approach, which is as far away from PE as you can get.
If I were you I'd wait a few more years working in finance, network within the tech world, and consider joining an early stage start up as the initial "business person". You'll likely get to work across PM, BD, strategy, sales, finance, investor relations, etc. It's not glamorous but you'd get the tech experience you're looking for (i.e. working with the first engineering hires) and still put your finance and consulting experience to good use. However this highly depends on your risk tolerance and interests in being an early stage operator.
Don't know if you've looked at funds like Thoma Bravo or more growth oriented tech PE but that could also be a good move for you.
Ay ay delete this lol. Bro chill