How small is too small?

Posting for a friend. Got a gig with a Big 4 firm on west coast for valuation/transaction advisory. When he arrived, was told, no positions in that and was assigned to an utterly unrelated project with no clear path to transition into it. Very disappointed. He was offered a job as a analyst for a 2 partner, very well-respected consulting firm to do modeling valuation , financial & transaction advisory. He loves the job duties. This firm does work for many large PE's and IB's in a particular niche. Does it matter if they are extremely small in terms of exit ops etc, or do his experienced gained matter most? ie: Could stay at Big 4 doing crap, or go to this ultra boutique and do what he wants?

 

Txs. Yes - this is a real firm that is well-know-respected in the industry, the question is leaving "big name" firm doing crap work vice "small firm" doing very relevant work....

 
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Depends on medium term goals. If he wants to do DD work, then do a year or two there and then can lateral to the PE group at a bigger firm doing the same DD work.

If he wants to go to a PE shop pre-MBA, then so as above - stay a year or two at the small place, transition to a higher profile, bigger firm in their PE / DD group, then dip out to a PE firm. People at my firm do it all the time.

If he wants to do non-DD work, stay where he is for a year or two and then once transitioned to a bigger firm, he can do DD work at the bigger firm and then network around to get experience in non-DD client work. It is all step-wise.

 

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