Brianne Leef

Associate Analyst, Research & Insights

I prioritize focus time for project work, attend daily team meetings, and engage in collaborations with data engineering. Lunch is a welcome break, and I unwind with the Bubble Tea Walking group, gaining insights into various teams.

5.45 AM

My first alarm goes off and I contemplate whether I really need a job.

6.00 AM

My second alarm goes off and I remember I need money and work at a lovely company, so I wake up and get ready.

7.30 AM

I arrive at the office, turn off the Focus Time on my phone so work notifications can get through, fill up my water, watch the boats in the harbor, and check my to-do list for the day.

Financial Markets Authority - Graduate watching boat near the office

7.45 AM

This is my time to really focus on getting some work for my projects done, before the office gets busy. I’m currently super focused on getting a report written for my main project before the Christmas break, so that’s primarily where my head is. I need to explain how an algorithm I designed works and the value of its findings so far.

10.00 AM

We have a daily meeting where one member of the team gives an update on their projects. It’s a great time to bounce ideas around and ask for help where needed.

10.30 AM

I have a meeting with the data engineering team to discuss how we would pull and store the data for one of my projects long-term in our systems.

11.00 AM

Following that meeting, I set up another meeting with the company we’re getting data from to discuss setting up the API. Once that’s sorted, I decide I need a quick break from my main project and shift to one of the side quests instead. I consolidate my notes from a project I did earlier in the year because we’re handing it over to another team. Thankfully, I’m a very thorough note taker!

12.00 PM

Lunch!

12.30 PM

Back to writing. I also make some edits to my project’s code based on my team’s feedback. Now that my code has been approved, I can just focus on pulling examples from my data to discuss in my report.

Financial Markets Authority graduate working for desk

1.30 PM

I’m part of a Bubble Tea Walking group. Once a week, a group of us from all around the company walk over to a bubble tea cafe together and get a drink. My go-to is the strawberry slushy. It’s a good chance to hear about what other teams are working on, while also getting out of the office.

2.00 PM

My team member and I had a stock take meeting of our team’s reporting dashboards. Since it’s almost the end of the year, we want to make sure all our workspaces are tidy and optimised.

3.00 PM

I have my virtual check-in with my team’s summer intern. We talk about how her work is progressing and how she’s settling in, but ultimately end up chatting about Minecraft.

3.30 PM

More report writing. I’m making recommendations for actions the company should take based on the findings from my project so far. Thankfully, my team will review my paper before it’s sent off, so they’ll let me know if they agree with me or not.

4.00 PM

Home time! I say goodbye to my team, switch the Focus Time on my phone back on, and head for the bus stop.

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