Computer Science Vs Investment Banking vs Law

CS makes no sense to me but, IB they say you make lots of money.
CS seems harder...but here is my question
Why are the salaries so low?

They say for CS you will make 70K out of grad, and like 100-200K after 10 years.
And for IB you will make 100k out of grad, and like 200-500k after 10 years...

But, in law you make 100K out of grad, and 1M++ after 10 years

What has a higher salary?

13 Comments
 
Best Response

These numbers don't really make sense. As a software engineer at a top company you can make 120k+ right out of UG. Sometimes even more. Your number for IB and Law are off just because you aren't taking into account a number of things. Remember lawyers need to pay for three years of school and banking usually requires an MBA which is two years. Both of those are a huge cost. In law you probably won't crack a million in salary by the time you're 30.

Basically if you're trying to get the best bang for your buck you should do CS and kill it. You don't really need an advanced degree to move up and even though you might have a lower ceiling than some of the other jobs you'll make more money quicker. The lifestyle will also be better than banking or big law. From there you just need to figure out how to network well and keep moving up. The problem is that most brilliant computer scientists don't have the social skills to keep moving up so it's kind of a paradox.

 

This is a played out discussion. I would be more interested to hear what people have to say about packaged goods, retailing, or fashion. Hear me out, if you work in one of these industries, most people will never see more than 45 hours per week in their life and many people are fairly mediocre to begin with. The typical finance person would be a veritable Jedi compared to the competition, thus making it relatively easier to rise through the ranks.

Thoughts?

 

Sint consequatur facere repellendus fugiat fuga voluptatem. Libero corporis ut non. Non omnis quia amet distinctio necessitatibus autem. Et magnam voluptatum necessitatibus alias reprehenderit vitae. Qui odio vel quis a maxime. Nisi et est exercitationem.

Eum suscipit quia nobis aperiam et. Ullam eum aut eveniet sapiente. Odio qui doloremque autem. In ratione tempora voluptates officiis delectus voluptatem veritatis.

Suscipit et aut in consequuntur repellendus. Eum qui et id earum sed ab recusandae. Ut voluptatum amet vitae saepe.

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 98.9%
  • 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 (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”