Boiler Room

I can't believe I've literally walked into a movie today and now sitting here in my apartment wondering what is next. I just went on an interview with a private investment firm that interviewed me for a project manager position. These past couple of days, I've spent preparing and brushing up on my interview skills. I got to admit that not having to interview for the past 3 years really made me aware how much work it takes to get ready for an interview. I use to be able to do an interview on the fly and know my elevator pitch with the drop of a dime. If I would to interview more in the future I would need to brush up more on my sales skills. Nevertheless I think I did well today and they may extend me an offer in about two weeks.

Ironically, I don't know if it would be something that I would say "Yes" to. The owner of the firm is one of the top investment gurus and renown writer for Forbes magazine for the past 30 years. He is always known for his unorthodox market assessment. Most of the time he is an contrarian which has helped him build his reputation for his forecasting ability of future market trend and his triple digit returns year over year have made him one of the most wealthiest person in the US. The headquarter of this firm is no different. It is situated in the hills of Woodside in a private residential area. Getting there required winding roads through skyline and eventually reaching a giant ranch with a cast iron security gate. After passing the security gate, a parking lot filled with European and high end Japanese cars as if they were in display for a show. Upon entering such establishment, I soon realize all eyes are on me. I was not sure why at the beginning, until I noticed that I was the only one that did not fit the typical mode of this place. It is like as if I walked into a frat house back in college where everyone decided to shop at brooks brothers. All the guys were your typical twenties and thirty year old making some good money and thinking that their shit don't stink. If you have to carbon copy people, here is the place to be. You have to be white, over 5'10, toss around a stress ball, compete to see who can talk the most smack to each other, and have a half genuine smile on your face. As for the ladies, they are blond and more blond. There were some Asians, but I think they were office clerks and maybe one Asian girl who looked like a investment trader, but gave me the weirdest look as if I'm from outer space. It made me realize that this is all becoming too familiar. At my first company, we had a division like this, except I was the one laughing as these chumps. These were kids who have such big heads that you wouldn't believe because they were pulling 6 digits, motivated by the movie Wall Street when they were a baby, outside the office they feel like they were superior to everyone else and yet they would lick their own asses if their supervisor told them to do so. Yes I am being brash. But this is the environment that I walked into today. So this so very atypical firm with everyone's desk situated together with no offices nor cubicles. People here seldom go out to lunch because they order online and it gets delivered to their desk. Plus they brag on the fact they have a tower that over look the pacific ocean and the entire peninsula. What can I say, I turn put on my pretentious hat and made sure that they need me more than I needed them. The interview manager seems to take bait and despite the initial raise the eyebrow of my appearance, he seems to see that he can use my skills.

So upon my further research tonight, I found out one of the film called Boiler Room was about this exact firm. It is the real life dog eat dog world of investment firms and the heat that is put on you when you were in a place like this. Seeing the movie and now going to this place really made me understand that sometime movie does a good job of capturing real life. The attitude were so thick that you can literally use a knife to cut it.

So with that, I am at a point of questioning whether I can be in the boiler room again. This job potentially would be a stepping stone to my goal of working in a top banking company such as Lehman or JP. Also if I decide to move overseas, having financial experience would definitely help. But will it change me so much that I don't even like myself anymore? Even worse will it change me so that I don't even know that I changed. Well I have a few days to think about it, at least this falls into my plan of a backup in case UA decides major layoff and I'm one of the casualties. So I have a few things to consider now. But for now I am looking forward to the week ahead and just put this aside for now.