Guys, long time reader first time poster here. Thank you all for the advice and encouragements posted here so far. It’s going to be a little lengthy but I am at a crossroads trying to decide what to do with an offer I received, and can really use some input from the forum so I appreciate it in advance.
I am currently not in investments, but in a similar fundamental research role where I have the opportunity to interview publicly traded c-level executives all over the U.S. It shares a lot of the same responsibilites as a equity/credit research associate, except the valuation is for the purpose of determining the credit worthiness of the firm over 1-2 years, rather than trying to valuate the security over a shorter period of time (next quarter or less for equity, varies for fixed income). Of course the market timing aspect is also not a commonality.
I have been actively trying/ patiently waiting for a long time to make the switch into investments and after passing CFA level 2 this August, I finally kicked in gear, started cold-contacting countless alumni in the industry and finally was offered the position below at a growing MM IB firm.
Only problem is that the equity research associate role covers the regional banks (think BBT, RF, PNC) and I am not sure how prestigious covering this sector is, and that I would have to relocate to Chicago where I do not know a soul. I am wondering with the hiring season in September approaching, if I should hold off for an opportunity in Boston or New York where I would be much more comfortable. At the same time, I do not have other offers on the table, and don’t want to miss out. Briefly my qualification is non-target (top 25 U.S. undergrad b-school), cum laude, and operations internships at Fidelity, co-founding a company in college, and asset management intern at a very small financial planning shop. Any constructive/logical inputs would be appreciated. Thanks again.