Feels like I'm seeing more of these posts in recent months so figured I'd offer my 2c. My background is pretty vanilla here (IB to PE to the tech/startup world, where I've been at a couple companies now for the better part of a decade). Definitely not for everyone but happy to provide a sense for the good and bad.
Feb 20, 2022
Total Avg Compensation
June 2026 Investment Banking
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Vice President (14) $434
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Associates (43) $259
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3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
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2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
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Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
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1st Year Analyst (75) $151
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Intern/Summer Analyst (68) $101
Career Resources
Leaderboard
| 1 |  |
99.2 |
| 2 | |
99.0 |
| 3 | |
99.0 |
| 4 | |
99.0 |
| 5 | |
98.9 |
| 6 | |
98.9 |
| 7 | |
98.9 |
| 8 |  |
98.9 |
| 9 |  |
98.9 |
| 10 |  |
98.8 |
$$$ is not really a regret but have to acknowledge I definitely gave up a lot of comp. Worked out fine for me given lifestyle choices (wife and I do a good job of managing finances, plus she makes good money), and COL is low in Chicago compared to other big cities, but could certainly understand how it might be different for others.
I used also (not seriously) daydream about what it would be like to return to the buyside. I think 2020/21 have basically squashed those rose tinted lenses for me - there are certainly aspects of finance that I miss, but I am not willing to give up WLB for that, and I have seen how these past few years have been really bad for some in finance.
Honestly my biggest career regret is probably before all of this - when I left PE, I thought I hated investing. What I have realized in the years since is that I actually do like investing, but I really hate PE-style investing (binary deal outcomes, winner takes all, ton of DD coordination, etc.) I definitely should have explored the public equities/AM/HF route, either out of IB or when leaving PE - it is entirely possible I would have hated it too, but I do regret not giving it more of a chance at the time.
In terms of my life in tech/startups, I don't have any huge regrets... in part that is because opp cost can be a bit lower in this world (it's easier to get new jobs and tenures average 2-3 years, so making the "wrong" choice to join a given company isn't as consequential as, say joining the wrong PE firm at a mid level seniority). One of the biggest "mistakes" I can think of is not joining this one startup right out of PE as I would have been one of the first finance hires after the CFO and it is now a unicorn. Even with this, I put mistakes in quotes because I don't really regret joining a different startup - I had fun, made a lot of friends, learned a lot, and enjoyed my life, even if I made a lot less money in the exit (maybe the common theme here is don't ask me for advice if you're solving for dollars lol).