Hi,
Disclaimer: I mainly made this post to vent.
I am currently working at in a FO trading role at a BB bank. Our team focuses heavily on technology and using code to optimize both trading decisions and order flow for clients.
I just started the role straight out of school and I feel extremely under valued and that no one cares about me. My team is very resistant to change and gets very defensive at any criticism i give. I give constant input regarding how we can better improve the existing code base but people get very defensive and refuse to change their work. Since I began, I have contributed towards numerous individual projects out of my own initiative (because no one gives me any real work) but again people have mainly turned a bind eye.
I come from a quantitative background doing internships in portfolio theory and factor based optimizations. I always wanted to work on the trading floor so I gave job a shot and recently ive been feeling very discuraged and as if i am learning nothing in my new role.
Any career advice or input?
I would say your career path depends on how well you code. What do you think is your best asset?
I would say I am a strong coder by finance standards but not so much by software engineering standards. I guess im more curious if this is just a bad experience or this is what it is really like at a large bank (I did my past internships at smaller companies)
This is probably how it is at most large banks. The whole "hey this can be done better" -> "Actual changes being made" will almost always be slower at large banks because they're just more interconnected. Whether you know it or not it could be possible that other teams / cross functions use that same / similar code / files / etc for their own work. Fixing one thing to achieve, lets say, a 5% more efficient set of code might throw off dozens of people across multiple desks / teams. In the short term it may not be efficient to re-train all those people.
You'll have less structure, but also more freedom at a smaller bank (generally).
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How long have you been on the desk? Did you graduate in May?
Ya I just graduated and Ive been on the desk for around 2 months. I understand that Im new and young and there is a hierarchy but wow... I feel extremely disappointed and discouraged
Dude wait like 6 months before you start really trying to contribute. The problem right now is that you don't know what you don't know. Take every opportunity you can right now to learn from those above you. Once you have some experience you will look back and probably think your ideas were not the best right now as well. People probably like that you are taking the initiative, but there is a lot more you should be focusing on than trying to change the entire desk right off the bat.
on top of that, there is literally nothing to learn because they give me very little exposure; everything and everyone is siloed off
Have some patience man. It sounds to me like you just want somebody to tell you good job. It is not like school where you have an exam or get a grade. This is the new norm - you just need to adapt and roll with whatever responsibility comes your way. Eventually there will be something for you to do, or somebody will leave. You got the job because they want you there. Make sure you have enough goodwill and credibility that when your name is called you can step up and rock that shit. Then people will listen.
+1 SB. However, I would note that this is just how it goes in banking and most jobs in general. Even if you have some really good ideas, people are not going to listen to you just because you're the junior guy. It's not just that you don't know what you don't know....which may be the case.
Your employer didn't hire you for your ideas. They just want someone who can efficiently and effectively perform their assigned duties with minimal complaint. After a few years of doing your grunt work really really well, they may consider your other opinions.
If you have really enlightened leadership, they will still listen to good ideas regardless, but in 90% of cases, you will be disregarded simply because of your rank and tenure at a firm.
Agree with the above. Give it a little time.
I think George_banker hit the nail on the head. Wait some time and have patience is the best thing you can do for your career right now. Even if you never get anything, you don't want to show frustration or jump ship 6 months/1 year if you can hold out that long. And I think he's right, it's too early to have set expectations given that you just graduated college.
I agree with the above. You don't know yet what you don't know. Right now is your chance to ask questions (but not question) and learn as much as possible. You've only been on the job for 2 months...some of the people you work with might just be annoyed that a recent grad is trying to tell them that what they do is dumb and there's other ways to do it. Do your year at this position with an open mind and see what you learn. Then if you'd like you can move on to a smaller or newer bank or startup where your innovation is more welcomed.
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