Hey guys, I need some advice to pick between two job offers. For context, Ive been working at a large bank for the past 2.5 years out of college in an automation/transformation team and have developed a large scale LLM that is being used in the back office and is going to scale aggresively in the coming months. I have a bachelors in biology (ik crazy pivot to tech in finance) and am doing my online compsci masters on the side to compensate.
The first offer is from a mid-size hedge fund in NYC (2b AUM) to lead AI development/be a part of their 3 person tech team. Hours are 7:30-6.
The second offer is to stay in my current company and be transferred to their headquarters in NYC but continue on my current team and LLM project. I am currently an Associate, on track to getting Senior Associate by the end of this year and VP 2 years after that. Hours are 8-5:30ish.
Hedge fund has offered 130k base with around 30%+ bonus, and the bank has offered 145k base with around 15-20% bonus.
My indecision comes because the LLM project is very visible (i’ve demoed at townhalls and multiple executive meetings) and im the main developer/project manager for the tool, so in terms of network/prestige im in a solid position. On the other hand, working at a hedge fund would challenge me technically in other ways that my current role does not, and I would most likely end up learning more while still providing a reasonable growth trajectory within that company. Also, its front end instead of back so I’d be gaining experience in that environment as well.
I have a good community at both places, 2 of my best friends work at the hedge fund and I really enjoy working with my current team.
Both are good offers, which is why im struggling to make a decision. Long term id like to go into management, so im looking to climb the ladder as quickly as possible. What would you do if you were in my shoes?
TLDR: Need help deciding between Tech in Hedge fund or Tech in Big Bank with visible project