Why you should start your career in M&A

Jobs in M&A are among the most contested and competitive in investment banking. But beyond the potentially large bonuses, what are the advantages of working in M&A and does it make sense to start in M&A if you do not want to be banker for life? Below are a few additional reasons why we think that starting your career in M&A is compelling.

1. The money is great

As a junior banker you will accumulate money rapidly because of bonuses and because working 24/7 means that you are not spending money. Many use the money to live the high life (i.e. expensive holidays, going out, clothes, cars, gadgets, etc.). But the wise junior bankers tend to keep the cash to realise bigger dreams. Examples include saving to invest in a startup for wanabee entrepreneurs, use it to finance a top MBA, invest in property/other assets, or simply build a safety net before taking a more high risk/high return type of job.

2. It builds your resilience and stamina

Working in M&A teaches you how to consistently deliver under very high pressure. It's a bit like going to the Army. After a couple of years in M&A, you should be able to handle last minute situations, keep your cool at all times and produce high quality work at 3am in the morning without a problem, which is a great asset in any job.

3. It teaches you displine and attention to detail

Those long hours spent checking models and presentations and making everything perfect to the tenth decimal point will transform you into a highly efficient analytical machine. You will leave M&A with a lot of built-in automatisms that will be an asset throughout your future career. Ex-M&A bankers can make sense of complex data intuitively and rapidly, and they have extremely high quality standards.

4. It develops your people skills

M&A is a very tough environment to navigate and requires a lot of street smart - there is a strong hierarchy, people are stressed and tired all the time, the stakes are high, people get fired every year and its highly competitive. The thick skin and "political skills" you will learn in M&A will be a great asset in any other environment.

5. It gives you early exposure to "big picture" corporate strategy

Apart from management consulting jobs, no other job can give you the same level of exposure to corporate strategy at such a junior level. You'll be working with CEOs and CFOs on corporate restructuring, strategic acquisitions, IPOs, etc. and the learning curve will be unparalled

6.You will learn to multi task and manage projects

"Multi tasking" sounds easy. But when you are working on 3 deals at the same time, it is 3am, and you still need to work through another 15 urgent requests to be completed by 9am, your skills are really put to the test. M&A bankers are great project managers, and learning to prioritise, break down tasks and stay cool under any circumstances is one of the skill you will develop in no time.

7. M&A is a stepstone to for whatever you choose to do next

Corporate strategy, private equity, hedge funds, startups, you name it. M&A is one of the few job that opens the door to practically any other job in the business world. If you are not sure what to do next but want to keep your options open, M&A is the ideal start of your career.