S&T: Tried and true desk or 'start up' desk?

This is not a typical 'which desk' question, but rather about the different experiences you'd want to have on a desk

I'll be preparing for a ft analyst stint at a BB this upcoming summer and am wondering about desks. Getting straight to the point, I wanted to hear some thoughts about desk selection. Two options:

1) Try and join an existing desk with a reputation for being extremely good at what they do; in essence, aiming for what already has been established and successful

2) Try and join a relatively new desk (the one I have in mind has literally, about three people. Literally, just started)

The first choice is presented for obvious reasons; if you join one of the best desks at the firm, you'll be surrounding yourself with the best traders to learn from, you'll be in an exciting environment with a legacy of success and life seemingly will be pretty damn good

The second choice might not be so obvious: the way I thought about it is that if you start at a smaller, newer, underperforming, etc. desk, you could be the guy who turns things around. You're given a ton of responsibility from the get-go and have the chance to mold the future of a significant part of the firm and this inherently seems to give a different experience than the first choice (although I can't put my finger on specifics)

My long term goal is a career on the sell-side; this may or may not be relevant for your thoughts. They say seeking advice is nothing more than seeking confirmation, which I won't deny. However I wanted to see what current/former traders think about the choice

Thinking retroactively, can you talk about your experience if it relates to either of the above options?

Thanks

3 Comments
 

Minus ut ipsa sit eius. Quam doloribus et qui saepe impedit et tenetur. Nobis non voluptatem placeat iusto est quas nisi. Suscipit ducimus perspiciatis nihil et omnis quae cupiditate quam. Qui iusto qui explicabo et. Voluptas suscipit quia omnis est quidem accusamus qui.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
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...”