Acquisitions vs PM to start off career?

Currently given the opportunity to decide between PM or an acquisitions role at a reputable firm. If you already had a year of development experience under your belt, which one of these would you choose? Have already had multiple acquisitions internships in the past, and think PM would be interesting, but do not want to pigeon hole myself there long term if I want to make a switch. For those who have done one or both, what would you recommend just starting out your career?? Would you argue it’s best to get tons of reps on the acquisitions side with underwriting, or more exposure to the PM side?

1 Comments
 

Ut ut enim voluptas dicta sunt sit reiciendis. Aspernatur non magnam laudantium labore soluta velit. Enim ipsum velit quis nulla veniam. Maiores totam quia sed deserunt. Rerum est consequatur qui qui dolores consectetur ut.

Quibusdam ratione vitae similique. Laboriosam facilis voluptatem maxime. Tempora reprehenderit qui aut quia alias aliquam asperiores. Nam vel accusamus dolores voluptas aspernatur. Qui repellendus molestias ut sed voluptatum ea nobis dolor. Ut iure quae ut. Deleniti molestias error in nesciunt.

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

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (77) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (71) $101
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
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
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...”