Extremely Bored
I am currently working in a strategy&operations role at a large corporate focused on a mix of ad-hoc projects for business updates for management/BoD, competitor analysis, new product launch and performance as well as some more routine FP&A type work (monthly and quarterly). I started becoming really bored day-to-day and weekly in the role pretty quickly and not sure if and what I should look into something different.
Its not the worst problem in the world to make decent money with basically no work stress ever (making mid 100s all-in as an analyst with "real work" maybe 20-30 hours a week sometimes feels even less and very rarely over 40) and it'd be a great job if I was in my 30s with a family making $250-300k by then, but definitely missing more pure finance and the satisfaction of grinding a bit more in my 20s. Worked in IB for a year before this and wanted better WLB but now unsure what I want. Feeling pretty stuck now as I don't want to be a job hopper with 2 short stints but wondering if anyone else here has had similar experiences and how to proceed in the medium-term for the next few years.
I know exactly where you are coming from. At my first company I probably averaged 10-15 hours a week of real work. Some weeks less. I hated it- hated trying to look busy, hated feeling like I wasn't packing my workweek full of learning and improving.
At my next company I was busier at the start but really started automating my responsibilities through excel efficiencies. Eventually it got to the point where I was working 1-2 hours a day, if that. This was during covid- I was sitting at home watching movies and playing computer games while using something to depress a key on my work computer so I was always online. At first I loved it (when we were in "two weeks to slow the spread") but eventually I hated it. Thought there was no way that sitting on my ass like that would lead to VP level down the road. It felt like my work ethic was atrophying beyond repair. I didn't feel like I deserved any promos or raises- why would I, at a few hours a week? While at the same time, getting used to barely working would leave me pissed if something came up and I actually had to work... we aren't meant to sit on our ass like that.
Eventually made a jump to a leaner company in a new role and am now always busy (in a good way). Always have a to-do list. Not that I have to work into the night, but I am never without something to work on. It's sometimes stressful, but just enough to keep me on my toes. It's a manageable pace of new tasks. Which is great- I've learned so much, the days don't drag on, I've become confident again in my work ethic. The confidence is huge- I used to be afraid that people would know I didn't have enough to do and I was afraid it showed.
My advice to you is to first look for other things to do- signal to your boss that you have some bandwidth to take on more responsibility. Frankly, I doubt it will work out. They'll probably give you some incredibly shitty task that no one else wants and that doesn't benefit you to learn or take on. That was my experience. Once you hit the 4-6 year exp point I'd look for a manager promo internally and externally. Doesn't hurt to jump around during your analyst years, especially if you feel like you aren't building your skillset in the way you'd like.
I relate to a lot of what you've described. After some burnout in IB I think I idealized working much fewer hours and couldn't imagine how that was a bad thing but now I worry about the pace of my development and growth compared to before. I don't know if its just like this in corporate in general - I am at a large well known company but it is still a fairly lean office so its not due to bloat in a team but just the general expectations are much lower. I think the work ethic atrophy description is very apt for how I feel now - from grinding 15 hour days before to sometimes doing an hour a day now. I fear falling off a faster track and eventually getting too complacent to even do something about it after a certain point. I think you're spot on with your advice too - I'm always saying I can do more but I don't get more to do and I don't think any of the "leftover" work would've been anything great for my growth either. Still trying to figure out how much of this is my company specific vs. corporate life in general and if its the latter I've been thinking of trying something back more in the financial services realm. If its the former then I could try other corporate roles but I'm generally risk averse to a startup path (a few that I interviewed with before taking this ended up cutting entire divisions recently) and I imagine the larger companies are all fairly similar.
I think part of the reason my prior jobs were slower was because I was very proficient in excel and able to make the tasks a lot faster. The other part was because the industries I was in were very slow culturally (think A&D). I am still at a F500 company and not in tech- this company just moves a lot faster and runs really lean (where most people are fully utilized and flex up in hours during busy periods).
I would look around internally and externally for other roles- maybe targeting corp dev at a more acquisitive company, maybe IR, maybe the highest level FP&A team (not business unit FP&A). Or maybe it is a jump out of corporations. Unfortunately since all companies are different you almost have to stumble around to find the right one.
In your experience, have you seen anyone leave corporate to other finance jobs? I don't think there are any other roles for internal moves that would be what I'm looking for and I can always look at similar roles at other corps but wondering what else might make sense with a background of ~1yr IB and some time in CF?
What are you looking for? As I mentioned before- corp dev, IR, corp strat.. those roles are often times faster moving, require more high-powered people than a traditional FP&A role. The people I've known personally who have exited corporate have not gone for other finance jobs. I would say though that seeing the teams at various local investment funds has me thinking that moving to one of those could be an option down the road. I would think you could too with your time in IB.
Are you a senior analyst? In your shoes I would stick it out til the 2 year point and then look to jump as an SFA, targeting one of the teams I mentioned above. Wouldn't hurt to also apply to small investment funds, local PE shops, etc. But even another FP&A team could mean an engaging role that advances you quickly. If not, I would stick it out to the 4-5 year point and then look to jump as a manager.
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