Hey! Given your background and career aspirations, it seems like you’re at a crossroads where both roles have appealing aspects but cater to different skill sets and future exit opportunities. Here’s how I would guide your decision:
1. Clarifying Your Career Goals:
- Your ultimate goal appears to be transitioning into PE Ops, corporate M&A/development, or potentially staying in consulting at more senior levels. This is key, as your decision should align with where you see yourself long-term.
- If PE Ops is your primary goal, Ops DD/Value Creation aligns more directly with that path. It leverages your strengths in financial analysis, operational assessment, and cost reduction—skills that are crucial for managing and improving portfolio companies' operational performance.
- PE investment roles are admittedly challenging at your current level, and since you don’t feel as confident in the CDD space, it seems prudent to focus on what you excel at (operations) and aim for roles that allow you to move into PE Ops or corporate M&A down the line.
2. Understanding Where You Add Value:
- Based on your experience, your strengths lie in analytical/financial analysis and digging deeper into operational details, which is essential for Ops DD/Value Creation. On the other hand, you find CDD’s primary research and high-level strategic focus less aligned with your skills and prefer operational depth over extensive market hypothesis testing.
- Since you’re more comfortable with operations, returning to Ops DD/Value Creation might allow you to leverage your existing experience and grow in a space where you already have a solid foundation. This is especially relevant since you find Ops-based work more naturally aligned with your skills.
3. Timing and Career Flexibility:
- You’re right to think that moving away from CDD now could make it difficult to return to it later. However, since you’ve expressed doubts about thriving in the CDD space and PE investment appears increasingly out of reach, it might be more strategic to capitalize on your operational strengths. Ops DD offers flexibility for a future PE Ops transition even after many years of experience, and it aligns well with corporate M&A/strategy roles too.
4. Evaluating Future Exits:
- Ops DD/Value Creation provides clearer exit opportunities to PE Ops, corporate transformation, or even partner roles in professional services, where your operational expertise would be highly valued. These are roles you’ve indicated interest in and ones where your background could thrive.
- CDD, while more geared towards strategy, might limit your ability to transition back into operationally focused roles. If PE investment is becoming unlikely and you’re not fully comfortable in CDD work, investing more time in this area might not yield the desired career progression.
5. Role Options:
- Given your desire for PE Ops and corporate M&A/strategy exits, the roles at EYP TSE, A&M, or FTI in Ops DD/Value Creation seem like better fits. These roles align with your strengths and long-term goals.
- While the boutique CDD role offers exposure to strategy, it seems misaligned with your comfort zone and future aspirations in PE Ops or corporate transformation. If your heart is set on the operational side, it may be best to focus on what you know you can excel at.
In my opinion, it seems most logical to return to Ops DD/Value Creation. This leverages your strengths, aligns with your career goals of transitioning into PE Ops or corporate M&A/strategy, and keeps the door open for senior roles in professional services. While CDD might seem like a last chance to focus on strategy, it appears to be less suited to your skills and aspirations.
Hope this helps a bit!
Best, Alessa
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