Exit opportunities after IB

Hello there, 

as our Finance community is still building up, we hope we can help. 

From our perspective, the most common exit opportunities after IB are Private Equity, Hedge Funds, and Corporate Development

PE is probably the "classic" IB exit. If you like the idea of working on deals but want more of a say in how companies grow and operate (instead of just advising), PE is a solid move. Most PE firms recruit analysts with 2–3 years of IB experience since that’s enough time to build up your deal-making and modeling skills. Plus, the pay’s great, and the hours are better.

If markets and investing are more your thing, HFs could be a great fit. You’ll get to dive deep into market trends and build investment strategies. Just know it’s a different vibe—more fast-paced and market-focused than deal-focused.

Corporate Development is a great option if you’re looking for a real work-life balance. It’s still strategic, but without the IB hours. 

2–3 years in IB is usually enough time to get the skills you need, build a solid resume, and leverage your experience into a top exit role. Of course, if you’re totally burned out or already clear on what you want to do, you could jump sooner—just make sure you’ve got enough experience to make the transition smooth.

We hope this helps and wish you much success for your next career move! 🚀