I am a Junior studying Finance, Accounting, and Data Analytics at West Virginia University. I have previous experience as a financial advisor at a small family office, and as a fund accounting intern at a large asset manager. This upcoming summer, I will be interning on the business valuation team at a mid-sized public accounting firm in Pittsburgh.
*Expected starting salary: $70,000-$80,000
*Potential Employer: GYF (Where I’m interning this summer)
*Pro: Good work life balance, opportunities for skill development and certifications (CPA, CFA, CVA)
*Con: Lower comp and less prestigious title than ‘high finance’ roles
*Expected starting salary: $130,000-$180,000
*Potential Employer: Jefferies
*Pro: Extremely high comp and great exit opportunities
*Con: Terrible work life balance and limited to specific HCL cities
*Expected starting salary: $200,000+
*Potential Employers: Ares, Apollo, Blackstone
*Pro: Higher comp and slightly better work life balance than IB
*Con: Basically impossible to enter directly from undergrad
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