It seems like it's NYC or nothing for many of you, and anyone who goes anywhere else must have had "issues" or "went to a non-target." I'm just curious because I went to a target (ivy-caliber private), but decided to work at an IB at a big bank in the home state of my alma mater. I make the same as my friends in NYC, and my cost of living is a lot lower. Obviously, they have better exit opps, but is it really worth it to live in NYC with the just insane cost of living? There are great cities all over the country (Houston, Charlotte, SLC, Atlanta, etc. Hell, even Chicago can be cheaper than NYC) that pay just the same as NYC and offer much better quality of life, cheaper living, and awesome social scenes.
Are people just really obsessed with being able to say "I work at [prestigious bank] in NYC" or am I missing something? Anyone want to weigh in on this? Interested to hear from other people who work in IBD, but not in NYC, and how they fare. Thanks