How to Keep Up?

I'm working as an analyst part-time at a property funds management group while I complete my studies. I only just landed the job and they have the intention of keeping me on full time as they are expanding quickly. It is a small boutique and as such I work directly with the partner in charge of property in my state.

I do not have any technical questions as of yet but I am struggling to keep up with all that he tells me and asks me to do. I'm yet to complete my first week of working here but he talks to me like I'm a fellow professional that has been in the game 10+ years and as it is a boutique there is no formal training program.

I haven't slipped up or anything yet and I understand the gist of everything he says to me and can respond well enough but there is so much I don't understand, especially when I didn't study property valuation/finance at all in uni.

Has anyone had an experience like this? Is there a way to manage it without straight up telling him I don't understand everything? Should I just trust in my ability as a reasonably intelligent person to learn what I need by osmosis?

11 Comments
 

My immediate supervisor does this to new people. It's really fucking obnoxious and unnecessary. Within a year you'll know everything he does. Don't stick around at the firm long term unless you're actually moving up in power/pay....these boutiques routinely take advantage of people if they let them.

Fake it until you become it. The guy know you're new. You'll learn what he wants you to learn.

Get busy living
 

^ way to lead with your assumptions but, no.

I'm speaking figuratively about the learning curve for stuff you'll deal with on a day to day basis. Within six months to a year everything starts to intuitively make sense. You'll never know as much as your boss if they're good at what they do.

I forgot that this is Aspberger Lawyer Oasis and everything has to be LITERALLY true and even then inconsequential minutia will be argued over like it matters.

Get busy living
 

I wasn't referring to you specifically, just making a generalization. I'm consistently amazed at how knowledgeable our PM is. I honestly believe if I bust my ass at this every day, in 10 years I still won't be on his level. I've had less competent managers before and I know how frustrating it can be. IMO, if you ever feel more capable than your boss, you should probably quit and look for a better environment.

 

OK, yes fake it till you make it. We get that.

Once you are there, that's when you are supposed to flip the switch and ask anything you aren't sure about. Obviously there are some things that don't need to be asked and can be looked up online easily, but if you don't understand some term he threw at you or how to model something within a waterfall, by all means ask away. No one expects you to be Jonathan Gray coming out of college (or still in college for that matter... because at that point hardly know anything).

If your boss is actually a leader he will take the time to help you learn and understand the business. If he doesn't, then find a mentor that will.

 

My boss is only 10 years older than me, thus is still very young, I am not too concerned with him being a huge mentor for me as he is still trying to kill it himself.

 

1.Act like you know what he’s talking about as long as you have a general idea about what he is conveying

2.Secretly take notes on things you don’t understand (whether it be concepts, vocab, etc..). and at night google everything

3.Save all of the stuff you learn in the same file so you can flip through it in the future (excel, word, evernote,etc..)

4.In the future be sure to create conversations about things you recently research so you can get true insight (that you actually understand)

 

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