n 2023, I finally decided to pursue being an investment manager. I had a lot of anxiety that career changers deal with or even fresh college graduates looking for their entry into wealth management.
What would my new work environment be like? Would I be accepted? Would I have buyer’s remorse? I had spent the last 3 years trading futures while doubling as a drone pilot. I felt the time was here! I was ready to take the giant leap and walk into the abyss. I didn’t have a role lined up, and I went on the dreaded application process of all the strange interview questions and drilling myself to act quickly on my feet. I consumed a lot of online information on how complex and selective the hiring process can be. I also heard all the dreaded stories about how investment analysts work 100 hours a week and even how a junior banker died from being overworked this year. This is not a joke. Check out the article here.
For those unfamiliar with investment firms and their structure, investment analysts typically work under a VP or a CIO. In my case, I work directly for the Director of Investments. An analyst is generally responsible for completing the initial due diligence for investments and presenting those ideas to clients or Senior Portfolio Managers. In this case, Microsoft Word and PowerPoint will be your weapons of choice.
After over a year of being an analyst, I have a large enough sample size of the pros and cons and the actual role versus what I expected. I am sure some readers have watched television series like Industry or movies like Boiler Room and wondered about the accuracy. By the way, they are investment brokers and not analysts in Boiler Room, but it is still a great movie… After my first year, I took some time to reflect on my five biggest takeaways and lessons I have learned. I have analyzed over 50 private market investments and helped clients invest in various products. The following Blog will cover five lessons from my first year as an investment analyst.