Advice for an easier and more rewarding analyst experience

I've personally had a great experience thus far at my small boutique, and the one thing I believe I did well was be proactive about doing analyses and other tasks ahead of time.

Doing that LBO model, getting a diligence tracker set up, looking up that one thing the MD may ask, etc. ahead of time (like before the associate even has time to think about it) will not only make you stand out as proactive, but it will also allow you to take more control of the work you do. Even better if you propose the work to be done in the first place.

Associates / VPs are only human and are often overworked as well. If you pre-empt something like a model, it is very possible that they take your lead (assuming you've demonstrated that you are a trustworthy analyst) and over time, they will begin to trust you with more of the idea generation.

This allows you to understand your models better, think at a higher-level, and allow you to take control. After doing this many times, my associates/VPs stopped checking my models / giving comments because it was assumed I had the common sense and knowledge to get it done correctly. This is part of the reason I almost never pull late nights, because I give myself comments rather than waiting on a higher-up.

I think this point is very understated and I've noticed it really makes the difference between a top analyst and bottom analyst. It also mitigates some of the uncertainty bankers always have around timing and schedules.