Generally, it appears fashionable in the Wall Street and Liberal New
York circle, to underplay the work that bankers do. At a bar, you
mention your profession in hushed tones or under a cough. People
admire those who are able to “get away” from it.
After five months on the road, on a sabbatical from Wall Street, here
is my humble ‘Thank You’ to it. I was having a conversation with a
couple of teachers from the UK who were staying at my guest house,
and I realized how lucky I was, to have the flexibility that Wall
Street dollars have given me. I could ‘rough-it’ when I liked, and
then, once it got too much, I could just take out my credit card and
head to the fanciest hotel in town. Its easy for Wall Street to get
to your head, and always want the fanciest stuff in life, and always
be cooped up in front of the screen trying to make millions. However,
from my experience, and that of many of my colleagues, I can say that
its not really like that- A lot of things that we do would not have
been possible had it not been for the time we put in front of
Bloomberg screens. And a lot of people in the business understand and
appreciate this, and take the flexibility that those hours in that
cut-throat environment have bought, and use it for other pursuits.
For me, its travel and trying to understand what I want out of life.
And working for someone who gives you the time off to do such a
thing, and provides the financial means to do so, is truly worth
thanking.