Turning down a smaller PE offer - did I make a mistake?

Hey guys, recently I was mulling over a few FT offers including a return offer from a consulting firm I interned at this summer, a Capital Markets IB role at a top BB, and an up-and-coming PE firm with around $1B in AUM.

I chose to go the BB route given the work seemed interesting and seemed to offer more optionality down the road but have started to think back to the prospects of having gone straight to the buy side.

While I don't have any prior experience working/interning in PE I was a fan of their strategy and enjoyed the people I met during my recent interviews. I think I'm interested in being an investor in the long term but had concerns about starting my career at such a small and relatively unknown shop.

Did I screw up having taken the BB route and not going directly to the buy side?

3 Comments
 

Cap markets doesn't tend to exit to PE unless you're in levfin - that said, I too would have concerns about the training program and exits at a tiny PE shop

If you're in ECM, try to lateral to another group at 1 year. DCM you should get credit looks but will likely want to lateral to a coverage group as well. That said I still think this is a much better path than your other offer, even with the extra step.

 

Doesn't seem like a "mistake", seems a decision you made with best efforts / available knowledge at the time. Probably could have argued either way.

Which of those decisions best leads you to an optimal outcome, you will literally never know. So move on! It is no longer in your control. Instead focus on getting a great outcome out of the decision you made, which IS in your control.

 

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