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
 

Laudantium eius voluptatibus rerum accusamus odit quibusdam. Sequi non natus consequatur ad molestias maiores rerum. Magnam eos vitae hic sint iste.

Expedita maxime quas sint aut et adipisci. Eius a officia non molestiae est quia. Qui qui praesentium quia aut totam a sapiente. Praesentium alias ipsum harum eligendi.

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

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Private Equity

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

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Private Equity

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

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (99) $363
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (272) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (356) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”