Corp Dev Guy @valuedassociate - Twitter Profile

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9 months ago

I’ve been asked about this and have wanted to make a more general post about my career path for awhile and what it’s looked like. Yes, getting out of PE and into more of a corp dev role was primarily a lifestyle decision as my wife and I had our first baby some months ago. My career path has been very atypical for someone in the M&A industry. I (non-metaphorically or sarcastically) grew up in a middle class home - dad was blue collar and mom in the medical field. I had no idea what I was doing coming out of HS but knew that I liked learning about the stock market and had a few HS classes that helped me build a passion for business / finance. I went to a small school in a rural town and majored in finance and accounting - thought I wanted to be a financial advisor. There are a few M&A shops in my city - a few PE and a few IBs but I really didn’t know about that industry until I got involved in my school’s finance club. Ended up getting an internship with one of the independent sponsor PE shops near me, worked during school and landed a full time offer there post-undergrad. I thought it was the coolest thing ever and loved being part of those deals. However, there were some clear culture / pay issues which I overlooked for awhile but those issues made it clear to me that I didn’t want to be there forever. I was about 3 years into my career when my wife and I got married, then got pregnant (unexpectedly). It was a shock. After a few sour deals and some long weeks/months with lots of travel, I decided I wasn’t going to do this type of career with a family; just didn’t want to do that to my wife. I ended up landing a role that was a near ideal move for me - Corp dev (not M&A focused), local to us, gave me a slight bump in base salary. The biggest winner, though, is that it allows me to log off at 5/5:30 every day. Could I have grinded it out in my prior role and worked my way up to continue getting carry on deals? Yes. Could I have found a different PE shop with better comp and bigger deals? Yes. Could I have gone the reverse route and switched to IB for better comp and sell side experience? Yes. Instead, I chose to go to a really fast growing business nearby and get solid experience on the corp side for good comp in our LCOL area while I give my wife more time at home to be present with her and our baby. My prior role wasn’t crazy demanding in terms of the overall M&A space - I had the occasional 40 hour weeks and the occasional 80 hour weeks so I was averaging about 60. Most would say that’s not that bad. I agree - but the unpredictability of the firm made things difficult, and I was raised in a family where no matter what was going on, we sat down for dinner together every night. I was not interested in letting a job jeopardize that. The biggest career lesson or advice that I can give someone is to not place your whole identity in your career. I’m still very early in my career and excited about my professional development and where I will end up, but most importantly I’m so blessed to be a Christian, a husband, and a father and I consider those to be my most important titles. Your career should be a tool that you use to carry out your purpose or goals in life; it’s a means, not an end. It’s in this way that you will find true purpose and fulfillment for yourself.

Compound interests

@Compounds365

11 months ago

@valuedassociate Appreciate this best. Was better balancing work life the reason you left PE? Have you considered SMB ownership route - or, why Corp dev? Thx

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Corp Dev Guy

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