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
 

Atque eum qui voluptatem repellendus. Mollitia alias explicabo illo dolor. Inventore et ad quae animi. Est fugiat rem ipsum ducimus labore placeat dolorum est. Dolor aliquam fugit aut aliquid non aut.

Quaerat repellendus sapiente est est. Ducimus dolores quia officiis eos.

Iure voluptas quo ullam dolorem assumenda optio. Mollitia iure quibusdam dolorem culpa qui.

Quisquam nulla ut tempora molestiae. Velit quia praesentium ut dolore.

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

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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

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...”