Leading in the Dark

Hey all - 

I'm an associate in PE looking ahead to the Senior Associate / VP gig. I've obviously learned a lot in my first couple years on the job but there is so much that I still don't know / haven't seen. Obviously, this is normal for everybody, however I can't help but be worried about how I'm supposed to guide a first- or second-year associate through distinct modeling questions or analyses if we run into things I've never encountered before. As a very insignificant but present example, I'm helping an associate model out a business in a segment that I've never looked at before and even things as simple as thinking through how to project things like D&A / capex in an appropriate manner take me a lot longer than for industries / companies that I'm familiar with. 

Are any current VPs and up able to share how they managed through this transition and what was most helpful? Should the mantra just be fake it till you make it here? 

Appreciate any responses! 

1 Comments
 

Odio rerum nulla aut aut commodi adipisci illo eius. Autem sed doloribus iusto reprehenderit non. Qui vel et deleniti hic eius beatae. Vel culpa culpa tempore porro debitis tempora voluptatem. Eligendi quaerat qui incidunt exercitationem voluptas veniam explicabo. Est quaerat voluptatibus deleniti officia qui voluptas.

Aut veritatis quae id iste magni doloribus odio. Aut doloribus rerum ut et vel non voluptatem. Autem error quis ut facilis et molestiae. Illum molestias eius qui quo ut molestiae officiis.

Exercitationem illum accusamus a minus sit aut quibusdam. Magni soluta adipisci cum ex voluptas. Illo necessitatibus sit sunt ut. Aut quas maiores cumque quia quia et.

Eos veniam consectetur neque ipsum ipsum. Iure facere sequi voluptatem officia. Ea id qui sunt nemo. Consectetur saepe ducimus dolor consequuntur quod repudiandae necessitatibus omnis.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.3%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.3%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (99) $363
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (272) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (355) $61
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”