career in trading (more interesting) or tech (more job security, better wlb, less interesting?)

hoping to get some advice from veterans in the industry.

i have done a SA in trading and loved it. im based in canada, so I have a FT offer for a big 5 canadian bank s&t rotational program. i loved trading and think it is super interesting work. the downside is that the hours were quite long, it is stressful and i worry about job security if my performance is not great.

however, i just got an offer from a big tech company in canada. compensation is very similar. the hours will be much less demanding, there is less pressure on performance so much less stressful. but I am not a huge fan of coding for a living

so, people that have much more experience than me, do you guys think I should pick the less interesting but better WLB career path? not sure if trading will get boring at some point too, at which point if theyre both equally as boring id rather have the safe, chill coding job

5 Comments
 

The money novelty wears off pretty quickly. If money is the same, choose something you like. Harder I think to spend a year in trading and go to tech vs the other way around.

 

Afaik you have to really fuck up to get canned in S&T, especially in your junior years, given the landscape with tech right now maybe just take the S&T job

 

Molestiae delectus voluptatem et provident quia magni porro ut. Laboriosam eos dolorum minus nihil tenetur dolores veritatis. Asperiores sed animi cum et. Blanditiis eius maxime alias quaerat. Nulla aliquam qui ipsa in est ut exercitationem.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (56) $261
  • 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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”