I landed a job with a ‘magic circle’ law firm but still went all out to get an internship at a US bank. It was the best use of my last summer in college — here’s why.

Spending my summer interning gave me a better sense of what I wanted to do.

During my internship, I learned that bankers are ultimately closer to the action when mergers and acquisitions deals take place.

Bankers are essentially the ones running the transaction for the clients. They drive the entire process while coordinating between commercial due diligence providers, consultants, and lawyers.

Seeing this up close made me realize I didn’t want to be pigeonholed into reviewing term sheets or contracts.

Separately, I thought the skills one can gain from being an investment banker were more transferable. That was a prime career consideration for me. I wanted to keep my options open — so that if I ever decided to take on a corporate or management role down the road, I’d have some idea of how things work.

In comparison, I thought working in a law firm offered relatively fewer exit opportunities. If I pursued that path, I could either expect to stay in a law firm for the rest of my career or eventually transition to working as an in-house counsel.

So when the bank gave me a return offer to join them full-time in 2025, I accepted.

Both the banking and legal fields pay well. I think the long-term earning potential I might have as a lawyer is just as, if not more, lucrative than what I’d get as an investment banker.

That said, pursuing finance doesn’t mean that my time at law school has gone to waste.

While interning, I noticed that the managing directors are usually well-versed in the legal aspects of a deal as well. Sometimes, they would even propose and work with lawyers on contractual terms.

Looking back, I’m glad I did the internship because it gave me clarity for the road ahead. For now, I’m going full steam into the world of finance.