How prestigious is working at a boutique i-bank? (Not like Lazard or Houlihan–something less well-known.) Is i-banking “i-banking”, regardless of where you do it? I guess the real question is, during your MBA summer, would you rather work at a lesser known, boutique i-bank, or an established mutual fund (or perhaps a real small hedge fund)?
#1 nobody in banking calls it “i-banking”…something you ought to know if you are considering a position in IB #2 “prestige” totally depends on the firm you work for. i won’t say that banking experience is good no matter where you do it, but if you have the chance to work on at least one interesting transaction during your internship, that’s a good thing as IB is generally regarded as having the best exit opps. however, it totally depends on your other options as well, and what your long term goals are. what are you comparing this job to? what will your responsibilities be in each situation? basically, i don’t understand the point of your question.
depends in where you are working and where you plan to work post school. I am based in houston and their are 2-3 energy firms that no one has never heard about but 2 are ran by ex GS folks and the 3rd by ex MS/JP people. They are lean but get good deal flow and pay above street. So we need more detail… If you dont have a clue then I would try my best to work for a BB firm to use their name for your post school job hunt. Can only help.
>>If you dont have a clue then I would try my best to work for a BB firm to use their name for >>your post school job hunt. Yeah, this was the original plan, but I couldn’t close the deal in my final rounds. Even though in the long-run I would definitely prefer to be on the buyside (basically doing equity research and hopefully PM for a fund), I felt that doing an IB stint at a Lehman or a MS would provide instant credibility and plenty of exit opps. So now I have finals at a couple of boutiques. One is pretty well respected, the other has good people but not a big name. I’m trying to decide whether I should just bag the whole IB pursuit and roll the dice looking for equity analyst internships at funds. It’s tough because a lot of funds don’t even offer internships. Also, I’m restricted to my geographical area, which rules out a Janus in Denver or a T Rowe Price in Baltimore. what to do, what to do…
go the i banking route… it is highly respected and good exp… many buyside firm love to hire ex bankers