WSO Weekly Wrap-up

January 10, 2026

Hey WSO Monkey,

The forum has some interesting discussions on recruiting drama, “am I in the right seat?” thoughts, and the usual money anxiety. If you’re taking a breather from the grind, some good material to scroll through while you question your life choices in peace.

-Patrick

Top Discussions

  1. On Cycle 2027 Kicking Off - "Confirming funds doing ‘chats’ in the morning early: Blackstone, H&F, Apollo, KKR, CD&R, Advent, New Mountain, General Atlantic."

  2. VP at an EB: Great Comp - Dead End Long Term - "VP at a top EB here. Comp is excellent and, candidly, I could probably ride it for another ~2–3 years. But increasingly feels like the role is optimized for short-term cash extraction rather than long-term career building. As a VP, you’re essentially a high-end execution body - lots of responsibility, little real exposure to clients, and almost no structured path to building a book. The “MD path” feels less like development and more like survival + politics unless you already have relationships coming in..."

  3. Anyone Feel Their Net Worth Rising Too “Slowly”? - "It boggles my mind that people in finance are so terrible about their personal finances. This ‘waiting for a drawdown’ concept is a terrible idea. Per above, the S&P is up 86% in the last 3 years. So now you have to wait for a 50% drawdown to get in at the same level that you felt wasn't attractive enough 3 years ago? And what if there is no drawdown - even if you think the market is overvalued (based on what metric? Vibes?), that can correct by staying flat while earnings expand into the existing value. How long does it have to stay flat for you to feel comfortable calling it a drawdown for practical purposes?"

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Top Discussions (contd.)

  1. Why Canadian IB Recruiting Is Broken - "Canadian IB recruiting has been historically worse than US recruiting due to lack of positions, heavy nepotism, and poor exit ops, but now it's actually broken. This is coming from someone that recruited a couple of years ago and has moved down south so curious to hear how undergrads/Canadians are seeing this firsthand. Banks are now taking spots that have previously gone to undergrads and are giving them to people that are 25+ years old and already worked full-time. Since Canada doesn't have an established MBA recruiting pipeline, these masters students are taking roles from undergrads that have 5+ years on them in experience and prep time. 20-21 year olds are having to co-intern with weird 27 year olds that failed to recruit for 4+ years during their undergrad and finally got a spot..."

  2. How Do You Find the Career You’re Best Suited For? - "I definitely didn’t know what I was getting into when I started in banking, then moved to portcos, and later into capital markets. In hindsight, ECM just wasn’t for me — at least not from the inside. I figured out I’m much happier advising companies as an IPO consultant/contractor than being embedded in a company. What I’ve learned is that I need plurality in my work. I don’t have to love every project, but at least part of what I’m doing needs to keep me intellectually engaged — otherwise I lose interest fast..."

  3. Almost Bonus Time - Would Taking a Year off Be the Worst or Best Decision of My Life - "Take the time off. I made it 3.5 years at a well-known bank and was crushing it and making more money than I knew what to do with but decided to quit and travel. I’m about 4 months into 6-months off doing cool stuff around the world (Spain hiking, Germany, Hungary, Thailand, scuba in BVI, skiing in Japan, etc), which has been great in both fun and deep ways. It’s been helpful for me to take the time to step back and reflect on my life and career, what I like and don’t like. You can’t really do that while you’re in it. Worst case, you can go back, and you’re a year behind in the rat race (oh no!), and can be confident in your decision to make a career out of it. Otherwise, it might be the best decision of your life, but you’ll never know either way unless you do it..."

New Podcasts Coming in Hot 🔥

  • Mentorship, Banking & Big Deals | A Real Career Story

  • From Italy to Saudi Arabia: Claudio’s Global Finance Journey & Lessons in Mentorship

  • Breaking Into Investment Banking: Vamshi’s Journey from UChicago to Private Equity Success

Hot Jobs 💼

Investment Banking, Private Equity, and Hedge Fund Professionals - “AfterQuery Experts is hiring IB/PE/HF professionals with 1-5 years of experience for remote, part-time roles ($100-$150/hr; 20-40hr/week). You’ll apply your foundation in accounting, valuation, and financial modeling to create high-quality content used to train AI models.”

Investment Banking Vice President - "This involves reviewing AI outputs for correctness, methodological rigour, and commercial relevance—then building evaluation criteria and model answers that reflect how things are actually done at top-tier banks.."

Finance Expert - “Mercor is recruiting U.S./UK/Canada/Europe/Singapore/Dubai/Australia-based Investment Banking or Private Equity Experts for a research project with a leading foundational model AI lab.”

Private Equity Expert - “Mercor is recruiting U.S./UK/Canada/Europe/Australia-based Private Equity Experts for a research project with a leading foundational model AI lab.”

Insights Senior Manager/Principal, Private Equity - "The Insights Private Equity group at Dialectica plays a key role in driving growth and scaling an emerging business unit within the company..."

Pre-MBA Private Equity Associate - "We are seeking a Pre-MBA Private Equity Associate to join our team for a Summer 2027 start..."

Private Equity Investment Associate ~ Advanced Industrials ~ San Francisco - "This role offers a unique opportunity to gain hands-on exposure across the full private equity lifecycle, from deal sourcing and due diligence to portfolio value creation, working directly alongside senior investors and portfolio executives..."

Financial Modeling Expert - "In this highly visible role, you will deploy your deep expertise in financial modeling, valuation, and deal structuring to support major investment decisions across diverse sectors..."

WSO Mentor - "Are you an experienced professional with a background in investment banking, private equity, hedge funds, S&T, venture capital, asset management, equity research, quant finance, corporate dev, real estate finance, or top-tier consulting? Passionate about mentoring the next generation of leaders? Wall Street Oasis (WSO) is expanding its Mentorship Program, and we're looking for outstanding professionals to join our mentor roster—an elite network supporting students and young professionals as they prepare for high-stakes careers. Whether you’re looking to give back, stay connected to rising talent, or sharpen your coaching skills, this role offers you the chance to make a meaningful impact, remotely and on your schedule..."

On Deck - Training 🎓

All in Eastern Standard Time

Stay Strong,
Patrick Curtis
CEO and Founder, WallStreetOasis.com

WSO Mobile App: iOS | Android

PS - We're also always looking to add resume reviewers and WSO Mentors to our team. Set your own pay (from $40/hr to up to $400/hr) to increase or decrease mentee flow. To submit an application, go here.

PPS - Think you have an interesting story? Want to share it with our podcast listeners? Hit reply and let me know!




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