23 posts tagged “work/life” (page 3)
This afternoon I got a phone call from the new Water Analyst at my old firm (Adam suggested I leave out the name). She apologized for her role in me leaving the firm and told me that she was interested in hiring me back (??????).... I couldn't really talk about it at work, since I share an office with two others. I told her that I was interested in discussing the possibility and we agreed to chat on Friday, when I am working from home.
It figures this would happen the very afternoon I find a place to sublet!!! The timing of this call is particularly interesting, because just this weekend, I was telling Adam that I wasn't thrilled with my new firm and had been contemplating if staying here was the best idea. I know that part of the reason I feel this way is the less-than-great living arrangement I currently have, and because I was feeling sick & whiny all weekend. The other big element is that the first six months on the job aren't necessarily indicative of how the job will be down the road. In the beginning I am busy getting up-to-speed on may names yet, so the job is a little more difficult - everything is more labor intensive and frustrating..... An undeniable element is also that I am not thrilled with the work enviornment (the people, the culture).... and of course, the hours are considerably greater working at a bulge-bracket firm in NYC.
So... it will be interesting to see how all of this plays out. Since we haven't relocated yet, going back to my old firm wouldn't be all that difficult. We still have our apartment and noone where Adam works knows that I am working in NYC. But, do I really want to go back there? Nothing has really changed there, and the company still sounds like a sinking ship... As much as I don't like my job right now, two years sticking it out at the number #2 firm for Equity Research would ensure that I could get a job pretty much anywhere... but is that worth uprooting Adam from a job he is good at in a city we enjoy living in???
Should be an interesting conversation on Friday.
Adam wants this to be my decision, but since I would like the opportunity to stay home to raise our children down the road (part-time or maybe a year or two off) - Adam's job opportunities are an important factor in all of this. All this just when I thought all of the big life-decisions were behind us!
Stay tuned.....
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.
I thought it might be nice for everyone to see what my office looks like - and it gives me a chance to play with the photo option on this website.
This is the view from the doorway. My desk is on the lefthand side. I took this the day we moved in (previously, we had all been in cubes sprinkled across the 30th floor.) I share an office with two ladies that are on my team. This has its pros & cons. Sitting on top of one another provides little privacy and many distractions. Behind my desk is a view of 57th street. Big fan of the natural light we get by sitting in an office!
This is the view sitting at my desk. J, who has worked here for about a year sits on the left and L, a young Texan who just graduated from college and started about a month before me sits by the curtain.
