Quote from lolatency:
Your post was so depressing. I did the part-time jobs for trading, but it NEVER works out. It's just to exhausting and tiring. I tried taking contracts, delivering pizza, working retail, whatever. It just doesn't work. I finally gave up and tried to get a job on Wall St.
I think best bet is to save, save, save and live at your girlfriend's house or parents. Wash, rinse, repeat until it happens.
My story:
1996 - Summer job, data entry, $6/hr
1998 - Fresh out of high school, got a job writing software, got paid $7/hr to rewrite firmware. I actually did not care that I was getting paid $7, I was in love with the idea that I could wrote code and make money.
1999 - Freshman in college, got internship, made $14/hr in Silicon Valley.
2000 - Made $23/hr, writing software in Seattle (internship)
2001 - Sacramento, making $21/hr writing software
2002- unemployed, but got college degree completed
2003 - Made $54,000 a year in Austin, software, TX, quit job, tried to start company, went broke
2003-2004 - Worked at a dating service, made $75,000/yr, in California. Started day trading on the job.
2004 - Laid off, no $, had a condo. Started mobile phone software company, sold some games, but only covered 2 mortgage payments before game stopped selling.
2005 - Lived at casino playing poker, then got job at a casino, yearly take was $80,000
2005 - Dad gets stroke, i lose it, go broke again. Manage to get severance pay, took it all to day trading firm. Lost it all, went bust.
2006 - Sold condo, had 50k savings. Moved to NYC to find a job near trading. Salary is $92,000
2007 - Firm (hedge fund) goes under, broke, working for a university, making $52,000. Start taking classes at the school, but am living paycheck to paycheck after all expenses
2008 - Got new job again, hedge fund, salary is $170,000 [1], barely survived lay-offs. Paying tuition since I am not at university. Bank account: $1300. It's all I have after this roller coaster -- paying tuition out of pocket. I'm overweight now, have some problems, and am bordering on failure again. My best bet right now is holding onto my job.
I have 0 debt, though.
So, while my salary has gone up over time, I have made nothing and have succeeded at nothing and feel like I have this dark secret of failure.
So, I am not a winner either. Only difference now is that I have a job near trading; however, no idea whether job will last. Hoping my bonus will cover the final payment on tuition for my graduate degree.
[1] Yes, I lied to get this job. I had the qualifications and get great reviews. But I watched how some crooked recruiters on Wall St. got people jobs, lifted their tactics, and tried it. I think what saved me was that I took an exam on the interview and got a bunch of questions right that no one else who interviewed got. I couldn't even afford the suit for the interview.
fantastic story, i love it, thanks for sharing!!!
would make a good article, et al
regards, surf