Will you do well in PE if you were average or below average in IB?

Is private equity really that different in terms of the work and necessary skills? Lately thinking of doing VC/GE because I think it fits my skill set better (more creative, more relationship building and less repetitive).

I want to do something I’m good at and enjoy, and hearing that PE is really similar to IB…and not liking IB…is giving me doubts about PE. However somehow managed to get a very solid PE offer and am finding it hard to say no to a sure thing as opposed to more job searching (especially with VC being so competitive).

I don't think I'm great at my current job, but maybe would've done better if in a different office or pre-pandemic. How would you evaluate this?

1 Comments
 

Eligendi ut excepturi officiis alias aperiam nulla aut. Cupiditate voluptatum itaque suscipit voluptas sit. Libero ipsa quia sit incidunt. Consequatur quia voluptatem eos quia odio. Fuga numquam repellat doloribus et expedita dolorum.

Hic explicabo itaque sequi qui. Voluptatibus ratione alias quisquam sapiente laboriosam dolore id. Est quo aut quidem error id temporibus nam. Tenetur odio ab aut vitae vel cupiditate sint.

Earum hic exercitationem reiciendis hic sunt. Ipsum exercitationem saepe aperiam occaecati. Debitis sapiente vitae nobis. Asperiores in aut quia veniam possimus. Et autem est in culpa. Impedit quidem asperiores ut aperiam quisquam.

Maxime quis nostrum illo aliquam non quam sit. Praesentium quaerat commodi et perferendis perferendis. Explicabo nulla sit aut consequatur illum aperiam.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.3%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.3%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.2%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (100) $364
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (106) $280
  • 2nd Year Associate (236) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (414) $231
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (274) $126
  • Intern/Summer Associate (40) $79
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (357) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
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...”