Hi I’m an A3 at a boutique M&A firm with just enough time and flexibility at work to have a thriving freelance gig in the same field. My current situation complements my skills which revolve more around building relations with clients (that is one of the reasons of the flexibility afforded to me at the firm I work at) rather than going the grunt work itself (not that I’m lacking at it or whatever). 3 months ago I accepted a job at a T1, but I ended up backing out of it a few days before joining because I was worried my skills wouldn’t be best suited to a larger firm and mainly because the effective pay was much lesser (won’t get into numbers so as to not attract trolls). I’ve been second guessing my decision of late and wondering whether prioritising the monetary aspect at this stage was the correct call. Mainly, I fear missing out on the concentration of talent at a T1 and benefits associated therewith.

All folks in Tier 1 aren’t that talented, but all Tier 1 firms will suck out all the time in the day. You won’t have the time to pursue your side gig which gives you fulfilment.

I am in the same spot, bud. I was working at a boutique firm in GGN for 2 years where I had flexibility and also got to visit client's offices, attend negotiation meetings, interact with counterparts, etc. Now I have accepted an offer from T1 in GGN and am not sure if I will continue to be doing such things, or will be just DDing my way for the entire year.