Career Direction Help

Hey Everyone,

About me: I'm currently an MBA student with a background in CRE. I have 2 years of experience working acquisitions at a multifamily PE shop and 1 year working for a public pension.

My problem: I'm trying to develop my career direction and vision, and I'm torn between continuing down the acquisitions route and being a specialist vs. going down a more generalist route in investment management/allocation. I see pros/cons to each route and am worried about making the wrong decision. I'd like to avoid being a job hopper and grow roots with a company (especially since I'd like to start a family in the next 5 years), so I'd hope to at least decide on a career direction now.

My questions:

Current market situation aside (I know acquisitions is struggling), how easy/flexible is it to switch from investment management to acquisitions or vice versa, especially once you get to the middle stages of your career?

How significantly have you seen differences in compensation in acquisitions vs. investment management? 

In general, how have you approached making large career-decisions like this? Any tips or advice?

Really appreciate any thoughts, no matter how long or short. Thank you!

3 Comments
 

From what I've seen it is more common to switch from Acquisitions to IM rather than the other way around

 

Voluptas perferendis et inventore laudantium molestias ex beatae. Tempore ipsa voluptas aliquam saepe dignissimos quae. Ducimus velit asperiores cum voluptate. Qui earum eos illo eum consequatur nobis distinctio. Sed architecto odit eveniet mollitia.

Ex impedit consequatur tempore. Quos voluptas vitae beatae cumque voluptate nam quis. Sit vitae temporibus porro accusamus doloribus rerum.

Excepturi dolores aut et totam. Ipsam deleniti maiores aliquam sequi. Praesentium distinctio veritatis labore aut sint porro. Voluptatem magni quisquam exercitationem. Alias recusandae molestiae est aut. Inventore sed illum qui corrupti.

Dolore praesentium incidunt et sed quia corrupti facere. Vel assumenda voluptas voluptatem rerum. Blanditiis voluptas eum rerum eos.

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 (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (72) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”