Contemplating Front to Middle-Office Move - Need Advice?

Hello all,

For some background - I currently work in acquisitions at a relatively well-known shop and am 2 years out of school. I'm currently living in a tier 3 city (if you can even call it that) and desperately want to move to NYC or LA. 

Obviously the job market isn't great and I'm basically getting no interviews for the very few front office roles I'm applying for. I'm currently in late talks with mega-fund for an IR role and culture within the team, hours, pay, etc. all sound great relative to the low pay/high grind place I'm at. That said, I worry should I not like the role it'll be nearly impossible to pivot back to a more front-office role.

I'm honestly pretty burnt out from the long hours but I also think that is partially attributable to also really not enjoying the city I'm living in so morale is just generally lower. I've also always thought IR aligned naturally with my skillset. However, I also recognize this transition could kill my earning potential irrereperably.

Some questions:

1. I realize its easier to transition into IR than out, so should I hold off until I can find a more deal oriented role? Or do you think it's feasible to give this role a go and if I don't love it pivot back out?

2. Are B-school opps decent even as well with an IR background - should I want to pursue that?

Would welcome any advice on if this would be an extremely idiotic move. Thanks! 

1 Comments
 

In esse voluptatem enim voluptatem et aperiam sint. Assumenda laboriosam rerum facilis fugit corporis odit nostrum. Accusamus recusandae facilis laborum. Autem totam et veritatis temporibus dolore culpa eos. Est est delectus debitis accusamus deleniti in.

Facilis necessitatibus voluptatem nostrum molestiae debitis maxime repudiandae. Consequatur autem iure et laboriosam. Quis sapiente commodi impedit et. Aut qui sit recusandae ut. Assumenda est error velit nemo veniam aut.

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

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”