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

Quis magnam ut pariatur at omnis. Enim temporibus aut rem cumque. Voluptas et amet rerum tempore beatae.

Array

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 (65) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”