Getting used to the pace at a long-only

I just switched from the sell side to buy side research at a long only. It's taking a while to get used to the job and it feels like I'm not being productive. On the sell side I was so used to churning shit out and talking to hedge fund guys or our S&T desk all day or getting screamed at by my boss. Here, I just spend my whole day reading and building models that are based on fundamental research not just what my boss tells me to arrive at for valuation.

Has anyone experienced a similar transition? I'm trying to ascertain if this type of struggle is normal or not. Maybe I'm just a brainless meathead who belongs on the sell side. Maybe I'm burnt out or tired from WFH; maybe I still miss my gf it was a wild ride with her be careful with girls from south florida with fake double Ds.

4 Comments
 

Time yourself on various tasks, so you can quantify productivity. Then set deadline for yourself to get to certain milestone for a name. Your boss is probably a good analyst too, so (s)he will not be micromanaging you on how you are progressing on your tasks, so the autonomy is a double-edged sword. Otherwise, I think you will be just fine. 

It was an adjustment for me too coming from the sell-side. 

 

Congrats on making that shift, how hard was it for you land the role?

I wouldn't sweat it. I worked a bit at a HF before ER. The pace is astronomically higher in ER. Buyside is about making a few right decisions (or at least avoiding the major wrong ones) while the sell-side is about creating as many touchpoints as humanly possible with clients. This leads to buysiders spending much more time on their estimates and ideas, while on the sell side you're just trying to get this note submitted so you can move to the next one. 

 

I just got extremely lucky. I ran into an industry contract in Miami (the same night I met the aforementioned ex gf) and we got wasted together. He thought I was the shit and introduced me to people at his firm and they just happened to need someone who covers my sector. Interview process was very two-hand touch, elsewise they've figured out I'm a moron.

 
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