Leave PE for HF in 1 year?

Hey everyone,

Currently an Aso at a MF (ignore handle have not updated). Not really enjoying the job, and always had a knack / interest for public markets. Would it make sense to leave the job for HF at the end of my 'first year?' 

6 Comments
 

Hey man, he’s wanting to get peoples thoughts on i) if he should wait because maybe 1 year isn’t enough to know if you really hate it ii) how it would impact relationships/ optics with leaving a firm halfway through the agreed 2 year offer and iii) general feedback/ thoughts from people who have made the switch on if they ever regret it or are happy with the move. Really helpful comment though!

I cant speak to any of the above from my personal experience, but also would be curious to get peoples thoughts who have done it as I just started my second year and also believe I would like the public side much more, just don’t know if it’s worth ruining relationships by leaving now or if I should just ride out the second year before trying to make a move

 
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Most Helpful

My .02 is that you should wait. A career is long and having a good reputation everywhere you go will be helpful. In the grand scheme of things, you will probably continue to learn in your second year (most do) and it will be over just like that, even if you hate it. Life is so fast, especially when you're doing something repetitive like PE and the days just bur by.

I remember one guy who was a good Associate at my firm left early and he got trash talked by all the senior team, meanwhile I was trash at the job but when I finished my two years everyone put on a show like I had been a great asset to the team and gave me great references afterwards. All to say these things make more of a difference than I think I appreciated when I was 1y in. 

The counterpoint to my point would be it might not matter. If you find a HF that doesn't need reference letters, and you crush it on the job whether by luck or skill, and you're already sufficiently trained, then you might not be worse off by leaving. But in general if you want to play the conservative risk-off path, it would not really hurt to stay.

 

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