Help: JPM ECM vs MS ER

Hi all,

I have just been offered two jobs at the entry level: one in ECM at JPM and one in equity research at MS. I'm trying to decide between the two offers. How do you compare the two in terms of:

  1. Transferable skills
  2. Exit opportunities
  3. Lifestyle / working environment?

I would appreciate any insights you could provide.

19 Comments
 
Best Response
InassessableTangents^^ wrong you fucking muppet

research is fine but its not for everyone - its boring as sht in my opinion - you do learn to model though

Hmmm....How shall I respond to this? :)

Would you be happier if I said: "IMO Research > CM"? Because I was just stating an opinion. They are very comparable positions and equally opportunistic...I'm not a CM basher like the majority of posters on here.

Now in regards to Research being boring. Would you also say IB is boring? Cause Research is even more similar to IB than CM. In research you have client interaction, you get modeling experience (like you said), you get experience putting together reports/presentations (similar to CM), and you have excellent exit ops (B-School, Buy-Side, etc...). Reason I think Research > CM is because I believe there are better exit ops (better chance of getting into HFs & PE from Research than CM) and the modeling experience (again, as you noted).

So now perhaps you can tell me why you think CM > Research?? :)

 

I should mention, the thing with the MS offer is that it is a contracted one. They said it could be a permanent position but they can't guarantee that. Do you think I will have good mobility coming out of MS research even after only one year?

I'm leaning more towards the JPM ECM offer right now because its a full-time permanent position...

 

The people who get into PE after research are 6-8 years down the road after SIGNIFICANT industry experience.

Most people are thinking what the move is after two years - in which case, most research analysts go to hedge funds.

Honestly in a lot of ways I would take research over banking, unless you want to do PE after 1-3 years. Pay as a 1st year doesn't really differ, and you can exit into banking/sales/trading instead of being siloed into one or the other.

And for anyone who says research is boring - I agree, but banking is only less boring because its so fast-paced/stressful all the time.

Credit research actually gets to sit on the trading desk which makes things exciting (talking about some of the bigger shops)

 
  1. i know several alumni from research ->PE. it does work. but they also say M&A->PE is easier
  2. i find research ppl happier in buy-side than sell-side. not to metion better hours, better pay. they're happy coz they don't need to sell the reports even they themselves don't believe
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.——William Shakespeare
 

dude its about core skills

in ER - you learn a LOT about the industry - more so than the banker and you do a LOT of modeling. In fact, i'd say ER is the most "neutral" job in terms of exit ops - it just pays shtty to begin with. ER analysts can go to PE / HF (not to trade tho probably more as a PM type person for fundamental / sector analysis) - you won't be making it to a quant shop or whatever

 

at BBs pay is the same more or less right out of undergrad.

didi, tell me more about the PE exit. how was it done? did they have to wait several years as mentioned above?

 
eresearcherat BBs pay is the same more or less right out of undergrad.

didi, tell me more about the PE exit. how was it done? did they have to wait several years as mentioned above?

through headhunters. it takes 2-4 years for them. actually, i think it depends...u know, hiring was slow due to the financial crisis. my alumni made the move after they were promoted from research associates to analysts.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.——William Shakespeare
 

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