WTF IS GOING ON WITH MBA ASSOCIATES???
Seriously, this year’s lot is the most maladjusted crop of society I think I’ve ever witnessed. Completely overbearing, unassuming, yet just the right amount of irritating. Not sure what they are teaching in Tuck, but it must have been a fun 45 min lecture for my Associate learning the comprehensive ins-and-outs of copy + paste formats from a non-target undergrad 23 y/o.
Also, where does the reluctance to roll up the sleeves and dive into the trench come from? It must be the increasing age of enrolling MBA associates, but I think there are genuinely a few who do not understand that an associate roll is still very junior seat and there will be times where you need to dive into a model or ppt. There is no such thing as a “high-level associate.”
Maybe a superior one will eventually come around, but one of our current associates basically does my job for 2x the pay. Time will tell for our incoming summers.
It’s getting to the point where it feels like opposite day: I’m not actually learning anything from them and just checking their work in decks; any advice?
It is what happens in a bubble. Poor MBA associates are a leading indicator of a bubble and an imminent crash.
Our 2nd and 3rd yr associates are fantastic. Our 1st years ASO are TERRIBLE - all great people but clueless on the job, make mistakes and my job harder. AlwYs need me to explain the deliverable and have me shell
Went over to one of their desk to flip through a deck quickly and they didn’t even have anything in their QAT - was mouse dragging to align LOL
"Our 2nd and 3rd yr associates are fantastic. Our 1st years ASO are TERRIBLE"
It sounds to me more experienced associates are better associates. I get the rant -- this is what wso community is for -- associates have a learning curve too, and it's easier for 22 yrs old to learn than for 30 yrs old. Depending on their background, MBA associates may not be helpful new, but hopefully the good ones would ramp up and can do the analyst jobs 6 months in, they will rarely be as fast as the best analysts, but they can do their job is the key. By the time associates spend two years on the job, the best analysts have left already, and those associates are the most experienced junior ranks on the team. The cycle goes on.
For one of these "mba associate sucks" posts, there's also one of those "Our 2nd and 3rd yr analysts are fantastic. Our 1st years Analysts are TERRIBLE". And we can debate how newer class is always weaker than the ones before, but at the end of day, haters gotta hate and workers gotta work...
Now back to the grind ...
You want real advice? Appeal to their ego and do everything you can to help them get up to speed while being careful not to come across as condescending and do your best to make it seem like you're their friend. Think it as great practice for dealing with inexperienced CFOs as you get more senior or trying to explain to the diversity hire at Latham the difference between revenue and EBITDA. At least your associate isn't billing you $1k an hour.
People have long memories and associates are supposedly in it for the long haul. You want someone who is terrible and butts heads with all the other analysts.
If you can help them turn things around and are their only friend, they'll be in your corner forever, whether that's at a round table when finalizing end of year reviews, a reference a PE fund or someone to fight for you if you have issues with the offshore teams. You're not competing with them and it's not a zero sum gain.
This is actually a great opportunity for you and can be much better than working for someone who really doesn't need you and could care less whether you're on their transaction.
^Rule 9 from The 48 Laws of Power: Learn to keep people dependent on you.
I don't think unassuming means whatever you think it means.
Sadly having gotten an MBA myself I came to realise it’s a degree that is too dispersed in the coursework. Insufficient depth in accounting or finance to really be sufficient in finance jobs. A singular core class in accounting and a singular class in finance, coupled with a few optional high-level /theoretical electives - that's hardly enough to be prepared for real IBD work, much less compare competitively with analysts that have been in the grind for even a few months. Wish I had gotten an MS Finance or taken more undergraduate finance and accounting. Without that foundation MBAs suffer from being brought in too senior with too many expectations and not enough hard skills.
Anyone notice the bitter tone form the “23 year old non target undergrad”?
It’s so depressing that because of wokeness banks now have to hire all these non target losers.
I’m going to take a stand and only give offers to Ivy kids, I hope some seniors here will join me in fighting the ship again.