Should I be doing REGAL IB ? need advice of what to do

Hello I am in b school rn. I am not sure if my thinking makes sense here but should I do REGAL IB for two years then recruit for a developer ? 

I was a civil engineer before but now I’m not sure if I want to do repe/development I should first do IB for two years then recruit for like a repe job or a development job. I talked to this one alum who works at Starwood and he recommended that the big name shops like the “pedigree” or banking. I am not sure what is he saying here would love some help please

11 Comments
 

Based on the most helpful WSO content, your thinking aligns with a common strategy for transitioning into real estate development or REPE (Real Estate Private Equity). Here's a breakdown of your situation and advice:

  1. Doing REIB (Real Estate Investment Banking) First:

    • REIB can be a strong stepping stone if you're aiming for roles in REPE or development. It provides a solid foundation in financial modeling, deal structuring, and transaction experience, which are highly valued in both REPE and development.
    • The "pedigree" aspect mentioned by the alum at Starwood refers to the credibility and prestige associated with having experience at a top-tier investment bank. This can make your profile more attractive to REPE firms or developers, especially at larger, institutional-level shops.
  2. Transitioning to Development or REPE:

    • After two years in REIB, transitioning to a developer or REPE role is a logical move. REIB equips you with the analytical and transactional skills that are transferable to these roles. For development, your civil engineering background combined with REIB experience could make you a strong candidate, as you'll have both technical and financial expertise.
    • For REPE, the experience in REIB will help you understand asset-level and company-level investments, which are critical in evaluating real estate opportunities.
  3. Alternative Pathways:

    • If you're not entirely sure about REIB, you could also consider roles in real estate acquisitions at large brokerages (e.g., CBRE, JLL, Eastdil). These roles often provide exposure to asset-level analysis and deal-making, which are directly relevant to development and REPE.
    • Another option is to leverage your MBA to directly network into development or REPE roles, especially if you have prior real estate experience or can craft a compelling narrative about your transition from civil engineering to real estate.
  4. Key Considerations:

    • Passion and Interest: If you're more interested in the creative and operational aspects of real estate (e.g., designing and building projects), development might be a better fit. If you're drawn to the financial and investment side, REPE could be more appealing.
    • Lifestyle and Work-Life Balance: REIB is known for its demanding hours, so consider whether you're willing to commit to that lifestyle for a couple of years.
    • Networking: Use your time in business school to network aggressively with alumni and professionals in REIB, REPE, and development. Informational interviews can help clarify your goals and open doors.

In summary, pursuing REIB for two years can be a smart move if you're aiming to build a strong foundation for a career in REPE or development. However, if you're certain about your end goal, you might also explore direct pathways into those fields through networking and leveraging your MBA.

Sources: Career Advice: Family Office (RE Developer) --> MBA --> REPE, Real Estate Career after MBA, Ask Me Anything: REPE Investment Professional, Real Estate Investment Banking, Military to RE via MBA

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

He is essentially saying a lot of these top tier PE shops like to see banking experience for a few big reasons. 

  1. Front facing client exposure: when you are talking to a capital group or someone like that who is about to give you a ton of money, they will extensively vet the group and their backgrounds. To be fair here, this doesn't necessarily mean that you are not as smart as someone that did do banking for a few years, but capital groups who may not be as familiar with the real estate space, along with your hiring manager will know that if you are in banking for a few years, your finance ability will be easily transferable and you can do real estate analysis.
  2. Lots of these tops tier shops look at large portfolio acquisitions than just one off transactions, depending on what you are doing. A banking background is helpful in this respect. Top tier trophy developments also have capital stacks that are pretty complex, especially in markets like NYC, Chicago, and CA, which again understanding nuances in the debt/equity stack is important in these cases. 

Now, how important is banking experience? I am not sure what b school you are going to but lots of these REPE mega funds recruit at strong MBAs and I would think you would have a leg up given you engineering background. If you want to do development I am sure the megadevelopers like Hines and other groups also recruit from MBAs, which would be what you are targeting anyways. 

I neither did banking nor an MBA and am currently on the buyside. Solid shop but definitely not a mega fund, where pedigree does matter more, and what he is getting at.  

 

Engineer in RE - Comm:

Might be a dumb question to ask here but what exactly did he mean by pedigree…new to finance world

Background, can be firms (are they well respected), schools (ivy, higher end schools), work experience (IB,consulting,trading, etc). Frankly if you are looking to do development, I would think a lot of those firms would prefer the civil engineering background to banking, especially if you are getting an MBA

 

Can't speak for REPE but at least for development I don't think you need to. I know several people at greystar who went engineering -> mba -> development.

 

You can definitely recruit directly for top development shops from most top-20+ MBA programs (depends on location you want to be in). Recruiting directly for REPE is a different animal and totally depends on your MBA program/network. If you're in a top top program, I imagine many large/mega funds are a possibility. If you're in a more regional program, then I think MF is extremely difficult/impossible, but regional REPE isn't out of the question.

IB to Development doesn't really make sense versus going straight to Dev, where you can spend your time actually building a long-term skillset/market expertise instead of rearranging logos and pitching inactionable REIT mergers that will never occur (this is coming from a post-MBA REIB associate). Also, you will need to swallow a huge pay cut to go IB >> Dev.

IB to REPE post-MBA is pretty tough. Again, totally depends on your MBA program and type of bank you go to. NYC IB to regional REPE is a lot more feasible than NYC IB to NYC MF/large REPE. You'll likely be competing against REIB Analysts for the same job title at Associate, maybe be eligible for Sr. ASO, depending on how long you stay in IB. Also, many recruiters who won't even show post-MBA candidates a role at the likes of a Brookfield/BX/etc.

IB sucks but it's not all negative. You will add some pedigree to your resume, if that's attractive to you. You will gain valuation skills, formatting, etc. that can be attractive to REPE firms who appreciate that stuff. If you want to spend some time in NYC with good pay and insane hours, but leverage that experience to land at a solid REPE firm closer to your long-term geographic destination, then maybe it is worth it. This is sort of my plan and its actually hard af to land a new gig.

If you go the REIB route, I would be fully aware that it is a massive uphill recruiting battle to find a REPE seat. It is definitely possible, but you must grind. You'll need to network a ton and be okay adding a full-time job of recruiting to your already demanding banking hours.

 

Dolor voluptatem non quia sint aut officiis fugit. Error et et et unde voluptatem.

Deleniti voluptas animi cum fuga praesentium ipsa. Ea dolores sit non eum. Est eaque ea natus aliquid. Voluptas iste ut debitis officiis laudantium.

In et aperiam optio aut error. Ex ex et sed cumque est. Praesentium tempora quia deleniti voluptatibus asperiores eos beatae similique.

Autem qui officia odit rerum quo. Reiciendis perspiciatis dignissimos et aliquid nihil recusandae consequuntur. Et sapiente beatae voluptatem et velit sequi. Excepturi repellendus quae illo modi molestiae odio. Perferendis provident repudiandae quibusdam ipsam hic ipsa. Quia ut itaque enim reiciendis. Tempora molestias porro et commodi.

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 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 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 (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”