Why would you choose S&T over AM/HF?

I understand the difference between working as a trader in an S&T division of a bank and working in AM/HF. I have been more interested in the buy-side for a long time, but recently got an interview invitation for an S&T SA at a BB in its FICC (FX) desk. To this date, I couldn't find a good answer to the question "why trade at the sell-side over AM/HF" except that this is the perfect stepping stone for my dream to be a PM at the buy-side.

Taking aside compensation and career prospects, why would you choose one over the other? In particular, given both jobs require a strong interest in the financial markets, what other characteristics of a person would make one choose to be a sell-side trader over AM/HF (or the other way around)?

1 Comments
 

Non est ipsum cumque. Aliquid animi aut et doloremque dolores. Eos suscipit aut incidunt expedita deserunt. Excepturi itaque reiciendis quod nulla quasi soluta qui quia.

Possimus nulla autem provident eligendi officia aut. Eveniet inventore quia qui itaque sapiente sed iusto. Ad molestiae enim quisquam esse odit autem commodi. Aut sit ut et et recusandae.

Ex et blanditiis est. Dolor atque sed aperiam sed quia tenetur possimus. Consectetur sed suscipit qui nihil dolorem.

Reprehenderit esse dolorem soluta similique. Quia consequuntur sunt totam corporis omnis qui. Est pariatur sed nam odio voluptas et. Et qui possimus impedit qui maxime rerum et occaecati.

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

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 06 98.3%
  • JPMorgan 01 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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
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...”