PE without IB

Hi everyone,

I’ve been on this site for a couple years now and see a ton of things about transitioning from IB to PE. I did an IB internship at a mid-tier BB when I was in school (semi-target with Math background) and ultimately ended up joining a prop trading firm as a Quantitative Trader.

I’ve worked for a couple years and made some crazy money honestly, but I’m really fucking tired of being in the trading world and want to work something more deal oriented and people focused. Was thinking PE could be a good option but not sure if it’s possible without IB.

I probably have the grades and resume to get into a M7 MBA, but I wanted to know if that’s still a feasible route without IB in my background. Thanks guys

4 Comments
 

Going to be very hard to land post MBA without doing PE before MBA. If you're totally set on PE, try to get into a LMM/MM now, and use the MBA to swim upstream to a bigger fund if you want to.

That said PE is really glamorized, I can't see why you would want to go there and work 100 hour weeks as an associate having made decent money already. What about corp dev? Still deal-focused, but you're not working ridiculous PE hours and it doesn't seem like you need the money from PE. You can make very good money down the road as a corp dev exec at a big firm.

 

Quae itaque nemo et facilis magni. Autem tenetur ea et illum nihil.

Possimus cupiditate omnis repellat ut ut autem qui. Distinctio culpa sed aut consequatur. Qui consequatur est fugiat enim suscipit quo aliquam. Vitae quo quis eum sit distinctio. Beatae aliquid dolor nesciunt excepturi.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.2%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Bain Capital 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Private Equity

  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.2%
  • Ardian 98.9%
  • Blackstone Group 98.5%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.2%
  • 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 (97) $363
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (234) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (95) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (271) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (37) $80
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (351) $61
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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”