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kids + moms + dads + parents + travel + food All I Really Need to Know, I Learned From Being An AnalystMy apologies to Robert Fulghum but I was too young to be an analyst in kindergarten... This time of the year though just makes me recall my student and faculty member days when I had "real" vacations. Real, as in two months straight and not measly few day breaks. Real as in regular -- not leaves that you'd have to have your boss approve even when the workload is light. Being an analyst is very much like being a student I would say. There are the assignments, the reports, the presentations. Yup, being an analyst is like being a student... only without the vacation.I am thankful though for having this job (as all of you should be) as it has taught me a few things which I feel will help me go through life more successfully: Things like: DO NOT REINVENT THE WHEEL. Learn to make use of what's available. Do not start from scratch when you can just improve on something. Is this the reason why some of our write-ups begin to sound alike? BE FLEXIBLE. THERE ARE NO HARD AND FAST RULES. Life does not give clear answers to all our questions. Credit rating is an art. Nothing is ever purely good or bad, black or white. There are just shades of gray. One has to learn to adjust given the situation. We must learn to go with the flow. Otherwise, we will all go crazy. Yield and you need not break. EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED. HOPE FOR THE BEST, BE READY FOR THE WORST. How many times have I expected an account to be problem-free, only to be shocked by all the difficulties that it eventually brings? As one of my bosses said before and I remember it very clearly: "We cannot afford to be complacent." At work, as in everyday life, we should always be on guard. We should learn to relax, yes but not too much for it is when we relax too much that we get into trouble. BE DIRECT. SAY WHAT YOU MEAN EXACTLY. Try to be as truthful as you can be without being mean although sometimes this MAY be necessary to drive home a point. And even when you're being truthful never begin your sentence with "to be honest." Do not say "I'm not sure" when what you mean is "I don't know." Spare yourself from miscommunication and disagreements by speaking your mind as well as you can. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR EVERYTHING. When involved in something, be prepared to take all kinds of comments from people who think that you're on top of everything: the way the room is arranged, etc. etc. Never say "That's not my area." They won't be listening to you anyway. Just hear them out and do the best that can be done given the situation. Being an analyst has taught me how to deal with different people, situations, frustrations. I learn a lot as I make a lot of mistakes and am thankful. I feel my work has prepared me well for life where everything is not as you would want it to be or as you think they should be. Being an analyst is a tough class in an even tougher course called life. I'm glad though that the learning never ends...
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