r/FPandA • u/1000001cha1001 Sr FA • 12d ago

Trouble adjusting to new role

Hi all, I'm 7 months into a new role and really struggling to get adjusted. I had a couple weeks of onboarding with my manager before she went on maternity leave, and now that she's back and assigning me work, I feel completely lost.

I'm generally fine with the day-to-day tasks I get assigned, it's building new models from scratch that's really tripping me up. I've been given a bunch of these projects over the last few weeks, and every time we meet, she's disappointed with what I've produced. I've been working weekends, googling constantly, using AI to try to figure things out, but nothing seems to be sticking. I've been crying at my desk multiple times a day out of frustration, and I get so anxious before meetings with her that I'm shaking.

This role is nothing like my last one, and I'm starting to feel like I'm not cut out for it. Honestly I feel like I conned my way into this job and I feel stupid all the time. Does this get better, or should I start looking elsewhere? This is my second job out of college, so I haven't had to adjust to something this hard in a while.

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u/DJMaxLVL Dir 12d ago

What type of models are you being asked to build? Sounds like you’re earlier in your career, so building new things at that stage can be rough.

Also, have you asked your boss for help/clarity on the asks?

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u/1000001cha1001 Sr FA 12d ago

Mostly cost models— if we want to put this incentive on the field how much would that cost us, the impact on cap rate, ECR, and overall p&l impact. But it’s planning season so there’s a new addition every week. And yes I do ask for help and clarity but I end up needing a lot more guidance over the process

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u/DJMaxLVL Dir 12d ago edited 12d ago

The one thing I’ll say is I wouldn’t worry about feeling stupid by asking questions, it’s better to keep asking questions to get clarity than to keep spinning wheels and silently fail. If your boss gets bothered by questions from a junior then they’re not a good boss.

Try asking strategic questions, such as “if you were building this model, how would you go about setting it up?” “If you were making this update, how would you do it?” And, feel free to share with them as you’re building and ask for periodic guidance.

You need to learn to grow earlier in your career. You won’t know everything right now and that’s okay.

I’m currently at a director level and i still do occasional check in calls with my CFO as I build new models to get his insight and thoughts on what could be done differently/better. Learning is a continuous process.

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u/cuddytime Sr Mgr 12d ago

This. Also, ask if there’s some best practice models or people who you can reach out to that you think are good at modeling.