About Me June 7, 2007

WHY DID I MAKE THIS BLOG?

It started out as a test.  I wanted to try blogging out and see if anyone would read my junk.  None of the stuff I write about is particularly deep.  I had thought about doing serious subjects and writing for real, but no one really spends time to read that shit.

So I just blog about random stuff for fun.  I also find out a lot about various subjects when I do research for my blogging.  It’s like a learning experience.

WHAT DO I NORMALLY DO?

I graduated from Rutgers University Class of 2008 with a BA in Information Technology.  I interviewed with Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, UBS, and Citigroup in the fall of 2007.  Citigroup called me back with the best offer, and in July I went on to work for Citigroup Global Wealth Management in a Technology Analyst rotational program.  Coming out of college, I was a bit ambitious and money hungry, and the entry level pay at Citi is actually really high for a four year degree.

I realize however that pay doesn’t mean everything.  If you love what you do, the money will come to you.  Citi was interesting but ultimately just not something I wanted to do.  People told me to suck it up, that this is the real world, and you should expect to be unsatisifed.  Alright that’s fine, I didn’t make it this far by not being able to adapt quickly.  I decided to just stick with the program for the 2 years and see what happens.

The financial crisis hit.  Imagine being a recent college graduate and working in the epicenter of something this historic.   Crazy!  Morgan Stanley merged with Smith Barney.  Jobs overlapped.  Teams needed to make cuts.  Citi had a huge company wide reduction in force.  I got the lay off in the spring of 2009.  At first I was bitter at how I was so coldly removed, then I realized I would get some sweet severance pay and an opportunity to find out what I really wanted to do in life.  So fuck it.

There was an overwhelming sense of freedom that morning when I lost my job.  I walked outside feeling like there was limitless potential to what I could achieve in life.  The sunlight filtered around the towering skyscrapers as I walked down Wall St toward Trinity Church.  As I passed the NYSE with the giant American flag draped over its columns and flapping freely in the spring wind, I realized that there was nothing to worry about.  In the end, I would be alright because I stay hungry.

WHAT’S NEXT?

I’m taking my time to just chill out and find a job that’s fun in something I have some passion for, and hopefully that will lead to a fulfilling career.

As of September 2009, I’ve started working for a talent management company that manages over 100 clients as well as a post production house for movies/tvs/commercials/music videos/etc.

As of October 2009, I’ve convinced myself to become a licensed stockbroker and also work for a nightlife company.  Opportunities come and go.  They don’t land in your lap, they land somewhere nearby and it’s up to you to go get it.  I found some and I’m going with the flow.