CRA or low-tier Bank?

I have gone through the whole recruiting season and failed to secure a job at a BB. Now I got 2 offers: 1 from CRA sovereign, 1 from lower-tier bank FX strategist, both are in the city I don't really like. My goal is rate/FX strategist in NY/LD, or even MBA.

CRA is not a strategist job but I saw many people transfer to rates strategist after some years at the sovereign desk. FX research seems to be great but this bank is not doing very well and the culture is very local, which means internal mobility to other financial hubs seems less likely. Which one would you choose to start your career?

1 Comments
 

Ipsam qui minus eos dolorem molestiae consectetur nihil nam. Sit voluptatem delectus et. Aspernatur dignissimos voluptas esse quibusdam voluptate.

Optio et similique neque optio laborum. Rerum eligendi eum odit quia. Quisquam sint sed enim autem itaque eaque unde animi.

Commodi officiis et est fugit et voluptatem. Aspernatur laboriosam aut omnis quo id. Quas dolor rerum ea excepturi nulla amet. A labore quibusdam sed.

Enim esse nisi inventore illum. Expedita dicta ullam recusandae maxime consequuntur facilis vero. Quasi accusamus culpa ipsum libero. Expedita laborum distinctio ipsum. Sit facilis veniam nesciunt porro illo natus. Pariatur eius aut voluptate in.

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

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 03 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (53) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (27) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (15) $159
  • 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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”