Europe is not one investment banking market — it is many, stitched together by shared regulation, cross-border capital flows, and the gravitational pull of a handful of dominant financial centres. London, Frankfurt, Paris, Zurich, and Amsterdam each play a distinct role in the continental deal ecosystem, and careers in European investment banking are shaped by that diversity. This is not a guide on how to enter the profession — it is a guide on what the profession is. The career arc, the types of work, the institutional landscape, and the roles that define a serious career across European markets. Whether you are focused on one country or thinking continentally, this is where the picture becomes clear.