#CareerAdvice #JobSatisfaction #QuantitativeAnalysis #JobResponsibilities #QuantSkills
Is 6 months too early to dip out? 🤔
Feeling bamboozled after starting a new job? You’re not alone. Join the club of professionals who have found themselves in a predicament just like you. If you’re a quant who recently joined a family office and are questioning whether it’s too soon to jump ship, we’ve got some valuable insights to help you make an informed decision.
Understanding Job Responsibilities
When it comes to starting a new job, it’s essential to have a clear understanding of your job responsibilities. In your case, it seems like there was a significant disconnect between what was promised during the interview process and what you’re actually doing. Here’s a breakdown of your experience:
During the interview process, your manager emphasized portfolio research and signal development as the main components of your role as a quant.
However, once you started the job, you found yourself in a position that primarily involves manual data entry and updating PowerPoint decks, with minimal use of your coding, math, and research skills.
The Problem with the Current Role
It’s evident that the current tasks you’re performing are not aligned with your expertise and the job responsibilities that were initially discussed. This situation raises several red flags, including:
Lack of alignment with the job description provided during the interview process
Underutilization of your quant skills and expertise
Failure to provide the necessary tools and resources to perform quantitative analysis effectively
Inadequate risk management strategies and resistance to implementing necessary systems and platforms
Considering a Job Change
Given the discrepancies between the promised job responsibilities and the actual tasks you’re performing, it’s natural to question whether it’s too early to consider a job change. Here are some factors to consider when evaluating your options:
Assessing the Long-Term Potential: Is there a possibility for your role to evolve into the quantitative analysis and research-oriented position that was initially discussed?
Impact on Career Growth: Will staying in the current role hinder your professional development and prevent you from utilizing your quant skills effectively?
Work Environment and Company Culture: How does the company’s approach to risk management and technological advancements align with your professional values and goals?
Rightsizing the Decision: Is it a knee-jerk reaction to the current situation, or are there concrete concerns that warrant considering a job change at this stage?
Making an Informed Decision
When contemplating a job change, it’s essential to weigh the pros and cons and make a well-informed decision. Here are some steps to guide you through this process:
Consult with Your Manager: Schedule a meeting with your manager to address your concerns and seek clarity on the long-term trajectory of your role within the company.
Explore Internal Opportunities: Inquire about potential opportunities within the company that align more closely with your expertise and career aspirations.
Evaluate External Opportunities: Start exploring external job opportunities to gauge the demand for your quant skills in the current job market.
Consider the Financial Implications: Assess the financial implications of a job change, including potential relocation, benefits, and compensation packages.
Seek Professional Advice: Consider seeking guidance from career counselors or professional mentors who can provide objective insights into your situation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the decision to consider a job change after 5-6 months should be evaluated based on the alignment of your current role with the job responsibilities discussed during the interview process, the potential for career growth, and the company’s approach to leveraging your quant skills effectively. While job changes should be carefully considered, it’s essential to prioritize your professional development and job satisfaction in the long run.
Remember, your expertise as a quant is valuable, and finding a role that allows you to leverage your skills effectively is crucial for your career growth and job satisfaction. Good luck with your decision, and may it lead to a fulfilling and rewarding career path!
Better to jump ship now than in a year or two when you have to explain why you’ve got 2 years of experience but no skills.
Your application won’t be viewed negatively if you say the current role isn’t what you expected it to be. Outright disrespecting a previous or current employer generally is viewed poorly however, so work on your spiel.
If you have a few years of experience in the industry already I’d definitely start talking to recruiters. Family offices are notoriously hit or miss so I doubt it’d reflect badly on you if you explain it all, but don’t shit on the old shop too much, these things can always come back to bite you.
Just to be a stickler, a small family office doesn’t need to spend money on IDEs, version control, or DBs. There’s plenty of open source and free tiers that I assume a team of 2 people can utilize.
I work at a mega global hedge fund and we still use open source free-ware on some occasions.
That being said, 6 months is a bit early. Normally I’d say do what you want but when it’s a smaller close environment, idk, I’d say stick to a year. Use your free time to skill up or do something productive. Or listen to audio books. Idk.
People complain about free time until they don’t have it.
I feel you. I have been in M&A for 5 months and while the topic and deals are interesting, the actual work is so dumb and grindy …
I feel like IB is just Partners networking and grunts grinding
There are multiple moving pieces here. First, you were both lied to and told the truth during your interview process. Second 5-6 months is not a long period of time for some organizations. Third you are being naive if you think your suggestions which are radically different from their established way of doing things will persevere simply because they “should”.
What to do: don’t leave. Yet. Start looking for a new chair. Only resign your position after you have a job offer in hand and your salary negotiations are complete.
Can you build a better risk program for them? If not leave.
I’d ask them if you can do quant stuff when you have free time. That way you get time there plus you can say you did do ABC.
Sounds like you have a fantastic opportunity to upskill on UIPath and other robotic process automation tools. You also have the opportunity to upskill on web scraping, and maybe even programmatically editing slide decks. Why haven’t you tried to automate these repetitive tasks yet?
Once you’ve automated those tasks away, you have a quant family office job, create the projects you’d like to have on your resume.
Leave asap. You are not the main character in this company’s life. They will happily pay you to stagnate and neither learn nor gain tangible quant experience. Just find a new quant role even if it means a pay cut.
I mean – how much are they paying ya? kinda makes a difference lol
Do you get paid like a quant? You’re obviously not doing quant work so it makes sense for you to start applying. 5-6 months is early but can be explained away.
The post pique’d my interest because, what family office hires quants? I was thinking it must be a massive, extremely sophisticated family office, which is not common at all. Then I read the rest of the post and it all made sense…
If you do end up looking for work elsewhere, I would probably steer you away from family offices. They really aren’t set up to be doing complex quantitative strategies.