Long term: Switching to Sales from IBD

Hi everyone,

I have signed an offer for a summer internship in IBD at a top BB in London. However, recently I have been unsure that IB is what I want to do. Being a History student, anything really quant is I guess out of the question. Still, thinking back at my past experiences (AM, CorpDev, Marketing) I feel like fixed income AM and really anything market- and client-focused, short term was more exciting.

So I began looking into Sales at a large bank as a long term career with bearable hours and decent pay (not entirely sure that's true)

Is that a good plan? Will Sales persist in the long term even though trading is somewhat declining? Do I even stand a chance as a history major without S&T experience? And how would I go about doing it? Get into IBD and try to lateral? Or go for FT recruiting or a Masters?

6 Comments
 

I used to do S&T, but made the transition to M&A about a year ago. Have not looked back since - most people try to go the other way.

I don't know... Yeah. Almost definitely yes.
 
Most Helpful

Nisi repudiandae incidunt cumque necessitatibus magnam reiciendis. Nihil quo vel quae ipsa. Magnam omnis ipsa eos dolores quia itaque qui. Vel quia ad ab enim voluptatem magnam odio.

Array

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 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

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”