Need some advice

I am currently an equity strategist in an US investment bank. I just got an offer from a sovereign wealth fund doing portfolio management, global asset allocation and investment strategy. However, this new post requires some significant discount in compensation. Do you think it is worthwhile to take this move? What will be the career options after several years in sovereign wealth fund?

Portfolio management experience is good stuff. Develop a track record and you can move around or launch your own fund. This stuff sounds interesting too. If you don’t want that position, put me in touch with them.

I would not do it. Many people take “temporary” positions only to find themselves stuck in those positions for much longer than they originally intended. In your case, you would be making significantly less money than you would have at your original job.

I wouldn’t take it. If it were really a step forward in your career, you should probably be making a comparable amount of money to what you’re getting now. The fact that it’s a “significant discount” is not good. You might just want to tell them what you’re looking to get, and if they don’t match it, you won’t take the offer. That’s what I’d do and have done before. Otherwise, every time something goes wrong with the new job, you’ll be asking yourself why you ever took the pay cut and it’ll be a hard thing to live down. I wouldn’t do it unless there are some other significant benefits.

I say take the offer – you never know where that may lead you next.