Kapie

Jumping to the conclusion that Qbanky went the opposite direction in career transition just shows your ignorance on this industry.

If he is jumping from a small buyside firm to a top-tier sellside firm, that is totally rational decision as his pay will be much higher and future career progression will benefit a lot from having a "brand name" on the resume.

Sellsiders exiting to the buyside are only better-off in terms of compensation and work/life balance if you transit to established AM or hedge fund. Otherwise top-tier sellside total compensation usually are better than small-mid size buyside firms.

I've seen plenty sellsiders transit to hedge funds but moved back to the sellside afterwards