OT: Career advice

[SnowblindNYR]

Are you talking about financial reporting? Analysis?

In my experience, anyone’s whose job it was to write simple excel formulas and prepare excel files for a living now has their job being done in India.

Being an excel whiz isn’t enough. Most companies have BI tools layered over their ledgers and subledgers to customize reports.

Interesting, when I was at my old company we had a financial analyst with Hedge Fund experience basically doing just that. And what you said about BI tools is true about my friend who uses Power BI. But he learned it on the job. You can learn most of these things and tell simple data stories. I mean, I can't imagine all of this work has been outsourced. I mean this what a lot of banking is, though they do at least have to tie things in according to the rules of finance and not just add, subtract, and multiply. So it makes it harder. But my understanding that unlike other fields finance is still excel heavy. I can't imagine all of it has been outsourced. And the other tools aren't really rocket science if you have analytical acumen.

 

[East Coast Bias]

Interesting, when I was at my old company we had a financial analyst with Hedge Fund experience basically doing just that. And what you said about BI tools is true about my friend who uses Power BI. But he learned it on the job. You can learn most of these things and tell simple data stories. I mean, I can't imagine all of this work has been outsourced. I mean this what a lot of banking is, though they do at least have to tie things in according to the rules of finance and not just add, subtract, and multiply. So it makes it harder. But my understanding that unlike other fields finance is still excel heavy. I can't imagine all of it has been outsourced. And the other tools aren't really rocket science if you have analytical acumen.

My experience is in the insurance and finance sector. Haven’t done much with banking, so it’s a little different bc of GAAP and STAT reporting.

But imo, there’s a move to shipping out repetitive jobs overseas and having US based employees focus on analytics and what to do with the data.

So if you’re talking abiut being great with excel, you need to be able to consume and explain the data as well. It sounds simple, but you’d be surprised.

If we had 50 people doing the financial reporting of a line of a business, now we have 30 with 20 consultants in India. The 30 are not expected to be doing excel work all day. They do some, but that alone isn’t enough. You spend your time training people in India and analyzing the output.

 

[East Coast Bias]

Analytics and Financial Transformations were all the rage for 5-7 years. Big companies hired the Deliottes and Accenture’s of the world to help them upgrade their technical capabilities with BI Tools. With that came management consultants who just happened to have operations in India that could help you cut costs and change your model.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

My experience is in the insurance and finance sector. Haven’t done much with banking, so it’s a little different bc of GAAP and STAT reporting.

But imo, there’s a move to shipping out repetitive jobs overseas and having US based employees focus on analytics and what to do with the data.

So if you’re talking abiut being great with excel, you need to be able to consume and explain the data as well. It sounds simple, but you’d be surprised.

If we had 50 people doing the financial reporting of a line of a business, now we have 30 with 20 consultants in India. The 30 are not expected to be doing excel work all day. They do some, but that alone isn’t enough. You spend your time training people in India and analyzing the output.

Yeah, I wasn't necessarily decoupling crunching the numbers and analyzing them. In fact, part of the reason I got this job was that I impressed the CFO when I told him that one reason to hire me is my analytical AND strategic acumen, it's not just numbers crunching. Either way, I think I should be good because I think these are my strengths. I wonder if my experience at a strong quant school has made me think more people can do this than they actually can.

 

[Vinny DeAngelo]

Anyone in finance? I've dabbled in it and at the very least know what financial models look like. Putting bankers that work crazy hours and actually have technical skills (know financial statements very well) aside, most people in corporate finance that I notice use internal metrics. Their jobs involve listing those internal metrics in a spreadsheet and adding, subtracting and multiplying them by one another. It's not easy from the perspective of there being a lot of data and you have to wrap your head around it. But still these guys make a good amount of money and I can't figure out why. It's not rocket science. I'd actually love to do that since I really enjoy this type of analysis. But I don't understand why it's a relatively lucrative role.

I work in asset management. I’m in the legal and operations department(were a very small firm, 80 employees). Our portfolio analytics department does a lot of this type work. It’s mixing big data bases to generate performance reports and various other metrics used to measure the portfolio. It’s a tad bit more of a database role than a excel thing but it’s similar. I’d look into that.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

I work in asset management. I’m in the legal and operations department(were a very small firm, 80 employees). Our portfolio analytics department does a lot of this type work. It’s mixing big data bases to generate performance reports and various other metrics used to measure the portfolio. It’s a tad bit more of a database role than a excel thing but it’s similar. I’d look into that.

You know, I looked a lot into marketing analytics and a lot of them ask for the works, Python, R, SAS, SQL, Tableau. From that, I know Tableau decently well (haven't used it much but it's not hard) and a little bit of SQL that's it. I'm really good with excel (don't really know VBA though) but I always found it difficult because I don't have other skills. Most of it I think I can pick up, though.

 

[McRanger]

You know, I looked a lot into marketing analytics and a lot of them ask for the works, Python, R, SAS, SQL, Tableau. From that, I know Tableau decently well (haven't used it much but it's not hard) and a little bit of SQL that's it. I'm really good with excel (don't really know VBA though) but I always found it difficult because I don't have other skills. Most of it I think I can pick up, though.

Python is easy.

VBA. Lol.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Python is easy.

VBA. Lol.

No reason to write "VBA. Lol." like I'm an idiot or something. I'm sure I can do it, I just never learned it.

 

[McRanger]

No reason to write "VBA. Lol." like I'm an idiot or something. I'm sure I can do it, I just never learned it.

There are Nobel laureates and brain surgeons and panda trainers that don’t know VBA. Not knowing something doesn’t make you an idiot. Although assuming I’m insulting you by LOLing a LOL-worthy PL like VBA kind of does, I guess.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

There are Nobel laureates and brain surgeons and panda trainers that don’t know VBA. Not knowing something doesn’t make you an idiot. Although assuming I’m insulting you by LOLing a LOL-worthy PL like VBA kind of does, I guess.

No idea why you're giving me an attitude. This thread has been pretty supportive of people and for some reason, you decide to be condescending and insulting.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

There are Nobel laureates and brain surgeons and panda trainers that don’t know VBA. Not knowing something doesn’t make you an idiot. Although assuming I’m insulting you by LOLing a LOL-worthy PL like VBA kind of does, I guess.

If you don't have anything constructive to offer, why even bother responding? This is one of the most serious threads here. I honestly don't see what this BS adds to the conversation.

 

[HatTrick Swayze]

Not to mention, VBA is still extremely relevant for getting things done in Excel. Which right or wrong is still the platform where 99% of US office users do their jobs.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Not to mention, VBA is still extremely relevant for getting things done in Excel. Which right or wrong is still the platform where 99% of US office users do their jobs.

Globally, Excel is still huge. And people who are saying VBA or Python is easy are just wrong.

 

[McRanger]

If you don't have anything constructive to offer, why even bother responding? This is one of the most serious threads here. I honestly don't see what this BS adds to the conversation.

Explaining that Python is easy to learn (schools teach it using games like CodeCombat in like middle school) and that VBA is awful is constructive.

I don’t know why Snowblind is being pissy pants with me.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Explaining that Python is easy to learn (schools teach it using games like CodeCombat in like middle school) and that VBA is awful is constructive.

I don’t know why Snowblind is being pissy pants with me.

Well for starters I said I don't know VBA and you said "VBA LOL". Like it's a joke. That was pretty condescending. And then you not so subtly called me an idiot. But yeah outside of that I wonder why.

 

[McRanger]

Well for starters I said I don't know VBA and you said "VBA LOL". Like it's a joke. That was pretty condescending. And then you not so subtly called me an idiot. But yeah outside of that I wonder why.

It’s a joke because it’s awful. If you said your music professor was making you study Nickelback I probably would have said Nickelback LOL.

You assumed I was mocking you when I wasn’t. I pointed that out and said it’s idiotic to assume people are mocking you when they aren’t. And you seem to be getting progressively angrier. So I’m sorry you thought I was mocking you and also that VBA sucks.

 

[Irishguy42]

You might have been thinking you were being constructive, but you just came across like a massive dick.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

It’s a joke because it’s awful. If you said your music professor was making you study Nickelback I probably would have said Nickelback LOL.

You assumed I was mocking you when I wasn’t. I pointed that out and said it’s idiotic to assume people are mocking you when they aren’t. And you seem to be getting progressively angrier. So I’m sorry you thought I was mocking you and also that VBA sucks.

You sound like a hipster teenager who just started studying IT and wants to "think different"

 

[SnowblindNYR]

It’s a joke because it’s awful. If you said your music professor was making you study Nickelback I probably would have said Nickelback LOL.

You assumed I was mocking you when I wasn’t. I pointed that out and said it’s idiotic to assume people are mocking you when they aren’t. And you seem to be getting progressively angrier. So I’m sorry you thought I was mocking you and also that VBA sucks.

You know you probably know VBA and Python better than me but you can use to learn some social skills. It's important in the workforce as well.

 

[McRanger]

You sound like a hipster teenager who just started studying IT and wants to "think different"

I’m almost 40. I’m too old to think differently.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

I’m almost 40. I’m too old to think differently.

Here's some advice: Start acting like it.

 

[Vinny DeAngelo]

You know, I looked a lot into marketing analytics and a lot of them ask for the works, Python, R, SAS, SQL, Tableau. From that, I know Tableau decently well (haven't used it much but it's not hard) and a little bit of SQL that's it. I'm really good with excel (don't really know VBA though) but I always found it difficult because I don't have other skills. Most of it I think I can pick up, though.

I took a SAS class in college and taught myself SQL and Python... I think the hardest thing to do is learning without having projects/goals/deadlines to meet.

If you’re going to interviews and stuff I’d sell yourself as understanding the logic and problem solving process used in basic coding(as you’ve shown with Tableau) you just have to learn to translate that to whatever program/language you’re using.

If you have time, pick up python. It’s entirely free. Understanding object oriented programming is important. I’d find a good YouTube series or book(depending on how you prefer to learn).

Don’t let some of these guys online screw with you. You’re never to old to learn something and you’re never to dumb to learn something. I got hired as a poli sci and Econ double major into a finance career when I barely knew what a option was. I’ve learned every single day, at first my company was losing money on a 22 yr old idiot, now I’m considered one of the smartest ppl in the legal and operations department.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Also, you didn't say "assuming that thinking people are mocking you when they aren't is idiotic", you said it makes you an idiot. A slight semantic difference but actually has a significantly different meaning. And thinking that "VBA LOL" is condescending isn't even the more benign interpretation of what you said.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

I took a SAS class in college and taught myself SQL and Python... I think the hardest thing to do is learning without having projects/goals/deadlines to meet.

If you’re going to interviews and stuff I’d sell yourself as understanding the logic and problem solving process used in basic coding(as you’ve shown with Tableau) you just have to learn to translate that to whatever program/language you’re using.

If you have time, pick up python. It’s entirely free. Understanding object oriented programming is important. I’d find a good YouTube series or book(depending on how you prefer to learn).

Don’t let some of these guys online screw with you. You’re never to old to learn something and you’re never to dumb to learn something. I got hired as a poli sci and Econ double major into a finance career when I barely knew what a option was. I’ve learned every single day, at first my company was losing money on a 22 yr old idiot, now I’m considered one of the smartest ppl in the legal and operations department.

Thanks, man. I watched lectures for Python on MIT OpenCourseWare. But honestly, I didn't have the discipline to continue it. Though I'm not sure what you mean about tableau, I don't believe it involves coding. Do you mean just like I understand the concept with tableau I can understand the concept in coding?

 

[McRanger]

Here's some advice: Start acting like it.

I’ve already pointed out I wasn’t mocking or hassling Snownlind, I just ribbed him a bit when he got mad at me.

Meanwhile I’ve been called a massive dick, told I needed socialization and to grow up.

Snowblind I’m sorry. I honestly was not trying to insult you or freak out the entire board.