Starting out, need your advice!

Hey guys,

So I'm currently a junior at a non-target, majoring in finance with a minor in real estate. My ideal long-term career would be in real estate investment banking or private equity, and I need some advice as to which internship/career path would better to pursue.

I currently have an summer offer doing Global Markets Operations at a BB. I know the brand name would be a good thing, but I know that the internship would have nothing to do with real estate.

On the other hand, I recently received an offer to intern with a large real estate consulting and advisory firm. This position would include a lot of market analysis and more relevant work.

So I ask you fellow monkeys, keeping my end goals in mind, which position should I take to better position myself towards a career in RE IB/PE? I know IBD is ideal, but I pretty much lack the experience that most firms look for (not to mention I'm at a non-target) for IBD. Seeing as how you guys are probably more experienced in the industry, if you were looking to hire for RE IB/PE-oriented positions, is the BB name more important, or does the RE consulting look better? I know the stigma associated with term "ops" on this site, so should I take my chances and network as much as I can at the BB, in hopes that I can move into other, more relevant groups?

Forgive me for the lengthy questioning, and if the answer seems obvious, but I can't help but be unsure as to what firms like Blackstone, etc look for in candidates for PE positions. You guys have been very helpful in the past, so I thank you in advance for any advice you may have!

10 Comments
 

I think it is an easy choice: if you want to work further in Real Estate, why not to choose real estate internship? Especially if it is not a shitty firm, indeed

 
Best Response

It's operations aka back office, correct? Go with the RE Consulting, you'll get a lot more experience and have more relevant topics to talk about when leveraging it for FT.

I believe your main issue is reneging; trust me and renege, it's not worth giving up the potential future openings opened by the RE consulting firm. You won't be able to lateral from the BB operations to a FO role, this is basically unheard of if your end goal is IB/PE.

In the end, don't worry about it. Lots of people renege, more so than you think. What would you rather have: a better future and possibilities lined up due to the more relevant experience, or spend a summer working in back office, not learning anything, and regretting your decision all because you're afraid to tell HR no ?

 

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