Started in IB - Frustrated by Boring Tasks

New account since I started in IB at a BB in Canada last month, and the work I've done so far has been really boring. I understand the long hours and the simple asks, but the amount of time that Ive spent doing basic tasks like checking alignment errors in a Powerpoint and triple checking that numbers are consistent throughout a deck is annoying. How much of this boring work are you doing, versus meaningful work? Thought adding a poll would help with discussion  

How many hours per day do you spend on boring PowerPoint tasks (aligning, checking numbers, checking format, etc)?

More than 2 hours per day. I these boring tasks are driving me insane
76% (22 votes)
1-2 hours per day. I agree that it is very annoying
7% (2 votes)
At least an hour a day. I dont think its that bad
10% (3 votes)
Barely any time. Its hardly noticeable
7% (2 votes)
Total votes: 29
7 Comments
 

I feel you. I work in PE and its a tough few years to get through, but you will get through it. Cant say it gets a lot better in PE to be honest; it feels like you're back to square one, like being an analyst again. But hey, thats how its always been, and I assume it will stay that way

 
Most Helpful

I don't know why you're frustrated - you're a month on the job. Every group and team operates differently across firms so no one is really going to have a consistent answer as to a breakdown between meaningless tasks vs. meaningful tasks. 

You just need to focus on doing these tasks well then they'll continue to ramp you up and trust you with more meaningful work. It's really as simple as that and that's generally how it works. 

 

Thats really helpful to hear, thank you! I was just a bit frustrated since I was expecting a bit more meaningful work, but I understand that I need to build trust.

How long do you think it takes to build trust?  Id love to ramp as quickly as possible, but I assume that the boring work will always be there. Thats the life of an analyst it seems

 

Very interesting, thanks so much! I look forward to working to this level. Still, even when I get trust, I know the boring tasks like checking excel errors will be tough. Hopefully the interesting work outweighs it

 

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