Need advice on career path

To keep it short, I am 25 and graduated 2 years ago from a non target (reputable school though) with Econ degree and landed a gig with an F50 top firm in basically Financial Ops as an Analyst. I loved the culture and people but I hated the job with a passion and my commute was horrendous. I also had aspirations to get into Real Estate so I landed a gig with a top firm in my target market. 6 weeks have went by and I am miserable. My manager is a VP who is out and about all day, gives me one word explanations basically to all my questions, and has so many more things to worry about from a high level standpoint and just doesn't give a shit about anything when I ask him stuff. My position is new and I also have no team or any Senior Analyst or whomever. Not to mention, I can count on one hand how many emails or CCed on anything in my 6 weeks. (Besides company wide HR).

I am struggling to think of what to do because I can already see the signs this will not work out. Regretting ever leaving the F50 company and just trying to switch to something internal like FP&A. Luckily I left on a great note and still keep in contact with people there so maybe I can return at some point. It sucks because this is a classic case of grass ain't any greener on other side.

 
Best Response

These things happen, don't beat yourself up over it.

Are you working as a real estate analyst? Dealing with clients? Look for the positive things - maybe schedule one-on-one time with your boss. Not sure what kind of questions you're asking them, but maybe even ask them for suggestions on how you can build your knowledge without having to go to them (i.e. is there a course I can take/resource i should review that you can recommend?) Also ask your boss for more responsibilities (i.e. "I'm really interested in project xyz: is there something I can do to support you and ensure we deliver?")

If you hate it because it's challenging, then that's not a reason to give up.

Finally - keep thinking of moves like these as steps forward, and do you really want to take a step back? NO. Keep moving forward. Maybe this opportunity will land you another opportunity in real estate in 1.5-2 years and you'll be thankful you stayed.

Keep at it! Feel free to message me for more words of encouragement.

(I worked as a career consultant for a # of years before moving into trading)

 

So almost 3 months in. I think I still want RE however I still feel like this is just not a good fit.

The no team aspect still bothers me because my whole job is really just as hoc with my manager asking me to do something. I feel like an intern. I guess I'm just not use to literally getting like no emails a day. It's weird.

 

I am in a similar situation at a local developer. First job out of college. Been here over a year now. I will go a week without really doing much. I've tried to make the best of it and treat the downtime as an opportunity to learn and study. I've gone through three textbooks, Argus training, and two financial modeling courses (company paid for them). So I guess my advice is try and use your downtime to sharpen your skills and hopefully you can spin some of your experience in a year or two to land a better gig. Good luck!

 

Yeah it's frustrating.. I'll go days without an email. Problem is my actual duties I'll be responsible for is like only 25% of what my manager oversees and he's out in meetings most days. I'm use to corporate life with having 5 other team members and collaborating with them on a daily basis. Its been a tough transition.

 

Is the compensation decent? If so, stick it out and build up your responsibilities. As your VP sees that you can handle more, he will introduce you to more of the business. It takes time to train someone in an industry and if the VP is busy with his own stuff, you might be only getting crumbs of experience at the beginning.

Each paycheck is a sign that they want you to stay. Don't forget that.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

Pay isn't too bad..I just feel weird constantly going into his office basically asking questions or what I can do. I do have access to tons of information in folders so I can get read some stuff on downtime and try and learn on my own.

 

So I have a "mid year review" coming up but it's really just goals and expectations since there's technically nothing to review me on in this short time.

Any advice for things to mention regarding my frustration in a professional way? The lack of communication I have with anyone in the company is really the thing that bothers me most. It's like no one even knows I work here. I haven't got an email since Friday.

 

I find myself in a similar predicament as you coming into a corporate F500 after several years in consulting and an unrelated industry. I also get many mixed signals from my boss, and find myself often having to ask for other tasks and things to get working on. What has worked well for me is getting to know other people on related teams to get my name out there, being included in meeting invites, sent materials to assist on (with my team's permission), etc. For my boss and our company this works out great, provided I keep him posted and also get done that reoccurring reports and tasks I have delegated. I am in a good place, similar to you in that the pay is very good for eight hour days and many holidays, but I do not see this as something I want to do long-term. My goal is to hang on for at least another six months.

Go into the meeting with an open mind, don't act like your boss owes you time/attention/etc, he/she likely has many other things on their plate. I also wonder if your role and this team was created as part of a reorganization. It could be that they had the requisition funded and wanted to bring someone onboard or else their cost center would lose out on that allocation but they still haven't firmed up how best they are going to use you and what direction your team is going in.

Feel free to PM with any questions or thoughts.

 

do you have any other interests, other than real estate or even finance in general? perhaps now is a good time to explore other paths as well

I never even saw it coming
 

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