PE/GE Pay Raise vs Banking?

Quick explanation to my situation: I’m currently a second year at GS and signed a PE/GE offer back in September during On-Cycle. The expected all-in comp for the buyside role (summer 2022 start and offer range stated explicitly in the offer letter) is ~$240-$270k.

I was catching up with some of my close associates at GS who went A to A, and it turns out they made total all-in comp of ~$400K-$450k as a first year associate (non-stub year, so 1.5 years as associate).

As you can imagine, I’m not sure how I feel about taking a ~$150k paycut at my next job vs staying at GS… Do you think the buyside will raise comp soon for summer 2022 starts? Has anyone successfully had a convo with their headhunters to see if the firm you signed with is willing to renegotiate comp?

3 Comments
 

You have to take a longer perspective on your career.. the ~100k difference during your associate years is meaningless in broader context of your career trajectory. GE / PE is fundamentally very different work than banking and you have to evaluate which one fits you better. Personally I think the senior investing roles are way more fun and autonomous than their sell-side counterparts. Furthermore while I can't promise it, I think it's likely that buyside lifetime earnings will outstrip banking.

 

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