An answer to "How are you liking your new job?"

I definitely needed to leave "J", its really something that I should have done about 2 years ago.  But, I don't know that my new firm, or any bulge bracket firm for that matter, is the best fit for me.  (Bulge bracket means Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Goldman, etc. - the big guys.).  I liked the intimate feel at J; with only 15 Analysts and 10 Associates in the department you knew who everyone was and people would socialize within the office, at lunch, and afterwards.  At my new firm there are 60 Analysts and 100 Associates, the Research Dept alone takes up three full floors in our building, and that's not counting the people in San Fran or Charlotte.  No one really interacts with people outside of their own team (industry grouping).  Well, I sit with my team all day, so I don't really get to talk to anyone outside of "L" and "J".  At first I thought that this was just because I was new to the place, but we had an Associate meeting and I asked "J" (who has been here a year) how many people she knew and it was less than 10 - those that she did know were the ones who had sat in cubicles around her before she got moved into the office. 

I don't mean to come across so negative - I'm sure that as time goes by I will befriend other Associates, it just seems harder than I thought it would be.  Luckily, I have friends that work in Research Departments at other firms, where the enviornment is completely different so I can make friends by joining my friends when they go happy hours. 

I feel like I am not living up the expectations that my boss had of me coming in, but it is difficult to gauge.  These first six months I am getting up to speed on how this place operates and learning the company's that are my responsibility that I did not follow at "J".  Starting in 2007, things are likely to be much better, so I just have to be patient (not one of my strengths) and see how I like it once I am settled in.

My boss is great, so I'm happy about that.  I see a lot of similarities between him and my old mentor, so that has made the transition a bit easier.