DAY IN THE LIFE | Dec 2022
Young, smart, and on the move.
The Day in the Life series is a ride along the track of the thoughts of one of our team members who anonymously share their journey what it’s like to build a fulfilling commercial real estate finance career inside Canada ICI.
6:30
AM
My friends that don’t work in the industry think I’m wired a bit differently, but I don’t mind Monday mornings. There’s such a buzz of energy coming off the weekend; I like a bit of time to decompress, and by the time Sunday evening rolls around, I’m already thinking about the to-do’s and follow-ups that our team needs to get completed.
Actually, a weekend of socializing that doubles as a weekend of networking with other people who work in thed industry – who’ve become friends and a big part of my social group – that rolls into the next week of tasks is a life that I’ve been completely immersed with!
Having graduated with my undergrad just over 18 months ago, my student life seems like a distant memory and I can finally see how the pieces of my professional life are starting to fit together…. at least I think it is 😊!
Just an elevator ride away from my apartment, I jump intothe gym and start my week with a quick stretch, followed by a HITT workout that one of our lender partners just put me onto. Funny enough, I just learned that my new company completed the financing for my building, and actually much of the local cityscape!
9:00
AM
"M3 (our standing Monday Morning Meeting). I haven’t told anyone I call it that yet, but it’s catchy and I’m saving it for the right moment."
11:00
AM
Time flies and I don’t know where the morning has gone. I am constantly busy in a way that keeps me on my toes and engaged.
This morning, I’m building a financial model on a tower for a project in Vancouver’s lower mainland for a presentation and pitch that two of our broker’s are doing next week.
I grew up in a fairly small town in Eastern Canada, and I’m completely floored with the size and magnitude of projects I get to touch. Because I’m the newbie, I thought that I would get the grunt tasks, or boring jobs, but to my surprise, I’m being put in positions to really stretch my mind.
I’m actually really into what I am working on, and there’s such variety every day that I’m never bored, in fact, it’s the opposite – I’m always learning something! No two files are ever the same, which keeps things interesting and creates an environment with constant learning opportunities, which I love.
I hadn’t realized how much the repetitive work I was doing before was sucking the life out of my soul. I was there only a few months, but felt like I had mastered my role and had another five years before a promotion. No thanks, I just couldn’t stay. Moving here was the right decision.
12:00
PM
Me and the rest of the analyst team met with a few appraisers we’ve been doing some work together on at a new taco place downtown. We commiserate on the sheer volume of activity that is happening in the market right now and make plans to catch-up for drinks at an outdoor concert that is happening next weekend.
Some of the more senior members of the Canada ICI team preach the importance of cultivating relationships and how the cohort of professionals we meet earlier on in our career end up building their careers in tandem with ours and start becoming influential decision makers in the market later on in life – it seems like a ways a way for all of us, but we’re having fun together right now.
"...professionals we meet earlier on in our career end up becoming influential decision makers in the market later on in life."
3:00
PM
"..I have the sense that the team here wants me to succeed and to learn through osmosis..."
5:30
PM
Nice! Leaving the office with enough time to grab a quick bite with a former classmate before heading off to catch a band that I’ve been dying to see at this dive-bar on the east-end
I can hardly believe another day has flown by. I’m mentally tired, but I learned a lot (again!) and think I’ve put a solid dent in my to-do list – and of course added a few more items for tomorrow.
I do think I’m finding my place. I get that I’m still new, but I can really see how intertwined my energy at the office is with the connection I feel with the people I work with. I’m excited to see what’s in store for me.
Initially I thought it was a risk not taking the articling position at the big-five accounting firm to join this company, but I knew I wanted something different. Dare I say I found it?