Sushi and Traffic

Day 2 also started off slowly when my typical 20 minute commute turned into 80 minutes due to a car fire on 394 that brought the road down to 1 lane. As I sat in traffic, I looked up MN Pass, and I just might make the purchase for situations like this...the express lane was in great shape.

Today was exciting because I got up to speed on another deal and was included in 5 conference calls. It was interesting to listen to the senior team members ask the critical questions and discuss the key dynamics of a deal. That big picture perspective is where the learning happens so I am trying to absorb it all.

To cap off the night, 3 of my teammates and I went downstairs for all you can eat sushi before heading back to it. It was delicious, convenient, and cheap!

So far I am extremely excited and it has surpassed my expectations regarding challenge, learning, office culture, and benefits. I am sure there will be many tough days ahead, but I am happy to enjoy this "honeymoon phase."

1 in the bank!

Day 1 was off to an inauspicious start when I couldn't get my dual monitors to work. 30 minutes later it was good to go! The next exciting bit of action was that I had to drive home in the middle of the day to get my passport for the purpose of proving my eligibility to work.

By late afternoon I was getting at it, working on my first deal, and my first assignment for that deal--exciting stuff!

I feel more lost than I did going into Target, but hopefully it is a matter of me forgetting what I didn't know going in. There is an overwhelming amount of information on each deal, and I have to somehow become an expert at it. This will certainly be a challenge!

Day 1 Jitters

In less than 12 hours, I will be starting my new job as a financial analyst in mergers & acquisitions for Houlihan Lokey. I feel like it is the day before school starts: I can't sleep, I am procrastinating, and I am worried about how things will go. My plan is to go in with a great attitude, ask questions, and get things done. I also hope my ability to communicate upwards and manage workload can maximize my effectiveness and prevent unnecessary re-work.

I plan to keep this blog updated for the first time in a couple years with information on my experiences and learnings on the job. I hope you find it interesting, and please comment or question anything you see!