Imposter Syndrome: PE to Publics

I work in PE and am looking to switch to public investing. In both banking and PE I could only buy ETFs and in college I was poor so I didn’t focus on investing in individual stocks.

I’ve spent a lot of time prepping, including maintaining a phantom portfolio where I track my ideas. Overall, the work seems like a much better fit for what I enjoy. I like research, business diligence, and investing, but not the process management, coordinating advisors, and quarterbacking that comes with PE.

That said, I’m dealing with a lot of imposter syndrome, which I never really felt in banking or PE. I know a lot of people started investing in stocks since they were in middle school or at least college, and that’s just not me. I kind of stumbled into it, but I really enjoy it and think it’s a good fit.

For those who made the switch, especially to a L/S SM, is that normal? Were you mostly thrown in and expected to figure it out or did you have actual mentorship? I don’t feel like I’ve had a true mentor in my career and I’m worried about being thrown into the seat and failing despite preparing as much as I can and if that were the case I’d consider just staying in privates. Would love to hear from others who made a similar transition.


 

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