Which of these jobs would be better?

Hey guys, I have the option of taking two jobs my freshman summer: 1. BoA Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management - I've done this before. Easy, know what I'm getting into. bitch work basically. 2. More bitch work at a medium sized law firm, dealing with M&A stuff (getting through a family friend).

I know that choice 1 is more finance related, but I'm thinking that since PWM doesn't even have that much to do with ibanking (which i actually want to do), and since I'm already a candidate for leadership positions in finance related clubs (shows interest), idk whether this will actually be useful.

the M&A law firm is semi-related to finance, but not really. However, i enjoy law and personally find this more interesting than PWM. Also, I could gain contacts to small M&A shops through this job (idk how realistic that is, though).

So basically, does PWM give the perception of enough substantive finance experience (i know it doesn't actually give that much) to be worth it over the law firm, which i would enjoy marginally more? I know i should just take the job i like more, but i wanted to hear opinions on this aspect specifically. Then i will be holistically weighing pros and cons.

Thanks

6 Comments
 

I think the internship at the law firm would connect your story to IB more so than the BofA gig. If banks see that you did a PWM internship two years in a row, they'll assume that it's what you're interested in, and so it'll be harder to sell yourself. At least with the law firm, you could say that it got you interested in M&A, and led you towards a career in IB.

 
Best Response

The law firm, just as the others have said so far. You don't want to peg yourself with something that isn't your true interest, and PWM is often used as a stepping-stone to bigger things. If you were there before you even began college and now you're looking to return, it might give the wrong idea during IBD interviews.

I am permanently behind on PMs, it's not personal.
 

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