Career Clinic: What's more important – getting on with your colleagues or enjoying your work?

Teams change, colleagues go... and in all likelihood you will not spend all of your career at the same firm. I would go with what you enjoy most, provided of course that you have a choice on qualification.

NQ -09 Nov 2009 | 13:35

The answer is obvious. Go with the work you enjoy - teams are transitory and no matter how nice the people are it's better to be doing something you find intellectually stimulating.

I nearly made the mistake of qualifying into a department where the work was mind-numbingly dull but the people were lovely: two years later all the people I liked had left but the work was still boring. You also can't assume you will always work at the same firm - better to do something which you would enjoy no matter where you work.

Before you write off asset finance, though, a general point about qualifying into structured finance departments. As a trainee the work you are doing will be dull, but at what stage do you get involved in the meaty stuff? Don't judge the work based on what you do as a trainee but on what the 1-4 year PQEs are doing.

Anonymous -09 Nov 2009 | 13:52

You should choose what you're interested in. People leave; the work will stay the same. But you've said you didn't get on with your litigation colleagues - what are the chances of qualifying there even if you wanted to?

Anon -09 Nov 2009 | 13:59

Litigation practices across the City are still in recruitment mode. Why is there a need to stay at the firm you're with? If you enjoy litigation, find another firm where you'll get on better with another team.

Anon -09 Nov 2009 | 17:22

I love the fact that you are attempting to be arbiter of your own career, very pre-2008. I would check that there is a job in either department first, before concerning yourself with which will suit you best.

Inhouser -09 Nov 2009 | 17:30

Very good comments already posted. While, pre-2008, I would definitely have suggested applying to litigation elsewhere (excellent advice, really), I don't know how much of an option that is for an NQ in this economy. In the current environment, I would think that the wisest option would be to make the best place possible for yourself at your current firm (assuming of course that there are actually jobs available).

As for the choice of group, I agree completely with the previous poster that you should not necessarily make choices based purely on the kind of work you're doing now as a trainee. In the finance groups (assuming you stay with it long enough), the work does get much more interesting as you gain experience and participate in transactions at a higher level. If the "big picture" of finance work appeals to you, I wouldn't write it off just yet.

And while it's true that teams change, the quality of the relationships you form, especially early in your career, can often have a huge impact on your career trajectory. If you really don't get on with your litigation colleagues now, that could harm your career in terms of your evaluations, work assignments and advancement opportunities. Taking a position and hoping that your entire team will eventually go elsewhere is a bad strategy.

I think the decision involves considering whether litigation really is your calling (in which case it might make good sense to look at other firms) or whether you would rather build on an existing good relationship in finance and perhaps grow into the role over time.

PQ3 -09 Nov 2009 | 19:17

Litigation offers work/life balance... eh?????????????

Trainer -09 Nov 2009 | 20:35

Always choose the team over the work. I made this mistake many years ago. I still regret it.

I would happily shovel garbage for a living, as long as I worked with good, honest, conscientious people.

Pipps -10 Nov 2009 | 22:39

Be practical

You need to think a bit more about how your choice now will affect your career. There are ups and downs but there will always be a need for litigators. The asset finance factory could be shut down tomorrow, due to people moving to other firms, or the work simply dries up. It might be a bit different if the asset finance people are also handling general banking work and maybe even some capital markets and derivatives work. With a wider remit, you can then keep your options open, by being able to move within the finance world including in-house jobs. You might think the work is tedious, but a lot of transactional work is. Out of your firm's litigation and asset finance practices, which has the better reputation and stronger client base? In this market, I wouldn't count on doing something I like, because chances are that there won't be jobs going in other firms. Good luck. M

May Kasahara -13 Nov 2009 | 16:24

Can't really believe you are asking this! People change, the work does not. Can you work out which way I'm leaning?

Anonymous -13 Nov 2009 | 18:41