Hi - IB analyst here. Wanted to pop a question to others to wonder if this is normal or I'm just not hacking it (which is also fine tbh)
I've been working 90 hour weeks for the past few months straight (one vacation day, which got blown up by an incapable Associate who kept pinging me to do work that was never used or requested). Hours defined by actual work (not including meal times and long lull periods). It's simply not getting any better even with more mastery of the material since the team is already stretched thin and they throw more requests the better work you do. And if you turn bad work, you still get staffed lol.
When I joined this small team I did so thinking this would be a tight-knit team, but have for the most part run into a lot of Associates who sign off 3-4 hours before me nearly every night while leaving me out to dry. If I call bluff on their offer to help, they literally disappear or somehow the timeline they were pushing on magically gets delayed. If I push back, they start giving attitude and become rude. They can't save down files in the right places or properly get into an excel backup without destroying it. The worst can't even bother to save down their own PDF file name when they know I am drowning in work that's being done for higher-ups directly (which they've hinted of being jealous of). The same guys also refuse to acknowledge any credit for doing the work or for that matter, checking the work.
I tried talking to the staffer about this and it got better for a bit, but I'm not sure the staffer is truly aware of the lengths of how bad some of Associates are, especially because they're the type to reply to every senior request "Absolutely! Will have it done!" to follow up with me "How do you do this? Doesn't seem bad" to pass off work. Literally this has happened too many times to count.
Honestly at a loss if this is "just IB" (no need to refer me to all the bad Associate threads, I've read them all) or I just joined the wrong culture since I like the work and listening to smart MDs...
Your associates sound less capable than normal, but I may be biased. My firm doesn’t have any associates like this, but all analysts and associates are getting grinded hard and working 90+ hours.
In that case, hope! Maybe a lateral will fix
So the only issue with your job is that you’re so much better than the clueless other associates that you get staffed on way more work than they do? These humblebrag posts...what is someone on here who doesn’t know you or work in your group going to say?
Haha, you haven't even done your junior summer and here you are projecting that I'm humble bragging... wish you the best of luck mate with your hardo status
If anything getting staffed more sucks right now because I want sleep, and doesn't mean I'm necessarily able to keep up with outputting consistently error-free material (if anything, I see my performance slipping a bit). The point I wanted to make was even with equal staffing (say, staffed on the same thing), I just get the work unloaded onto me and don't feel like I'm on the same team with a few of my co-workers. Not sure if it's humble bragging if there's no bragging involved (literally everyone is stretched thin)
Also should point out, the worst examples given above are skewed to a particular few Associates I'm thinking of
This has nothing to do with me - It’s just the way that this post comes off. The associates are jealous of you doing work directly for the senior people? And they get work and immediately email you asking “how do I do this?” You’re online 3-4 hours after them every night? It sounds like a tough situation but the added details make it sound exaggerated, sorry
Whenever Associate catches wind I've other projects going, they start asking how I got that work and how often and for whom numerous times to the point of being nosy so it seemed to come across as being jealous.
Not sure what else to say if you don't believe it other than to say I'm sorry you read it that way? I'm literally just trying to figure out whether this is normal or not since I like the job but not sure it's somewhere I want to stay for the long term
OP ignore the other guy. I've been in the exact same situation. My firm has plenty of these types of associates, usually, they are post-MBA hires. Ignore his rude comments without understanding the situation. I'm about to be done with IB and I can't count on two hands the number of times I've been screwed by an incompetent associate. My group is pretty big so luckily I've worked with many good post-MBA associates as well, but what you are describing is by no means unique. Hang in there!
FWIW, you won't really be able to give feedback until you earn more leverage in this situation. In my experience, the only way analysts get leverage is by having an alternative (exit lined up). At this point, you'll feel more comfortable giving honest feedback to the staffer and hopefully the associate's behavior improves.
What you're experience is super common. It's called shoveling shit that's been shoveled onto you onto the next man below you.
It's like that in all of corporate. IB happens to be a field that has it worse than others.
Thanks, appreciate the comment! Does kind of give me comfort that if that's just corporates everywhere to just suck it up better
No problem. It’s great you’re taking it relatively well. I was in your shoes and have seen people lose their professional cool over stuff like this after it grinds on them for a while. One way around it is having a 2 year road map of where you want to be and then a 5 year one as well. It’ll help out these smaller things into perspective
all corporate and 9 to 5 jobs
if you wanna be even more sad, calculate how you get paid by hour
Uhhhh I’m pretty happy and see no other job that pays as well as this one for something I want to do so thanks but no thanks
Why is WSO sometimes the college confidential for finance bros
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