35% Pay Cut - S&T Exit Opportunity?

Hi,

I am a Dec 2023 graduate who recently started in S&T. A connection has reached out to me about a reporting role at a small buyside firm that would come with a 35% (base only, not including bonus) salary cut. The role was pitched to me as a mix of strategic finance/analytics and traditional fp&a. I would be able to move from a HCOL area to a MCOL area closer to connections for the role, but would still be taking a significant paycut after adjusting for COL.

I am somewhat hesitant since I have not gotten to fully dive into S&T yet, but I am concerned about some of the work in S&T not being a fit for me (less technical aspects such as booking trades, etc.) after my S&T summer internship. Growing automation and the future of the space are also concerns for me.

I have done one other internship (fp&a at an energy company), but did not feel that the work in fp&a was a great fit for me either. It seemed repetitive/boring and the environment was very quiet. I am worried that the role would actually wind up involving more fp&a and less strategic finance/analytics.

Does this seem like a good opportunity? Are roles like this common exits for S&T? Does anyone have any insight as to what fp&a/strategic finance at a buyside firm is like? Could this be more exciting than fp&a at an energy company?