Navigating pod politics

Work for a PM who's not very technical but trades highly technical products. Runs part of his book systemically too.

I came in thinking I should just be myself and try and work extra hard to really put myself on his radar as a good trader by pitching some systematic ideas that I've worked on on the side. I have a very strong background (T5 undergrad in math, 3.9+ from one of hardest schools in the country). Lately I've been getting totally ignored and passed over for our other analyst who's more compliant and does exactly as the PM says. I would too but there just isn't enough work that the PM assigns me directly to not sit idle for most of the day.

I've really been getting anxious about this and have started shopping around a bit, but in case that doesn't work out whats the best way to proceed? It seems LARPing as a dumber person might be the way to make amends, which sounds soul crushing....

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Oh look another one of these guys. Do you hear yourself? Son, you are a junior. Do you know what that word means? It means you were hired as your PM’s bitch. Now, should it be that way? Idk, I’m not here to discuss normatives. But this is how the gig works. Nobody gives a shit about your GPA or math skills or how hard your program was. Your job is to help your PM do his work. Your job is to help him make money using his methods. Don’t volunteer your own shit that may or may not fit the strategy. You think the tasks he gives you are 60 IQ level? Cool, you can quit and launch your own fund instead. Until then, get it together. Figure out how you can help your PM run his shit. This isn’t a politics problem. This is a you’re on a high horse thinking you’re so much smarter than everyone else on the team problem.

 

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