What's up WSO,
I am currently an Equity Research Associate (~1 year of exp.) covering TMT and prior I worked in a different finance role (think FP&A, Valuations, Credit Ratings). I work at an independent shop (think Wolfe, Bernstein, TAG) and my team has an aggressive culture of which I am not a fan. I also struggle with the structure of my team given associates do not get much exposure to clients (bad if I eventually want to move to the buy side). However, we are handed most of the responsibility for due dilligence, writing and modeling, which is definitely a plus. I am looking to move but I am not sure if its worth it to stay on the sell-side given I don't want to be an sell-side ER Analyst long-term. A couple alternatives I have thought about are corporate development and buy-side (PE, MF, HF). I don't mind working long hours but I would prefer stability, less writing, a more collaborative environment (not as important) and better culture (most important). I have connected with a few people on the buy-side and am usually advised to move into IB or get an MBA before making the jump (if I want to land in a top tier role). Any thoughts and/or advice?
