Wow, I don't even know where to begin. I checked in at the company on Monday, Sept 28, and began training right away. I have never delved into finance, so the influx of new knowledge during training oftentimes catches me off-guard. What about implied volatility? How is gamma affected? Dumbfounded by the strange feelings these financial terms incur on my mind, I kind of took the back seat and allowed them to come towards me at full speed. One voice was constantly uttered in the back of my head: All of this is too strange to you; you don't belong here.
But I know I do. This is the profession I had decided to take up as my starting career, and I'm gonna try to be successful in whatever I do. Honestly, finance is just an embellished term for ... logic? math? or a combination of both? Concocted by humans through centuries of mental and social evolution, finance is yet another tool we have designed for ourselves. Moreover, I've spent the previous 21 years of my life not being afraid of taking up challenges and tackling new things, what bloody reason is there for me to convince myself out of this one?
One thing I am worried about: the relaxed nature/timeline of my job. When I worked for Vanke (China's largest real estate company), I used to work 17-hour days and stay over at weekends to facilitate the signing of contracts and plan large-scale events. That was the image in my head for "work"--not being able to wrap up the day at 3:30 and play pingpong at the company for another 2 hours before getting out--when most of my former classmates are still toiling at the office or lab. Don't get me wrong: trading itself is by no means a relaxing job; it requires the utmost mental concentration for the full 7 hours. But I'm just worried that if I allow myself to completely adapt to this lifestyle, it would be difficult for me to adjust to new ways in the future--whatever they may be.
Chicago as a city is awesome. Boundless potential (although I witnessed it losing the Olympic bid last week...), coupled with endless liveliness, it really delivers as a hub of civilization. Outside the window of my company is an amazing view of Millennium Park.
To the east is Lake Michigan, offering an amazing view when it's not frozen.
A few other highlights would be going to a golf resort in Wiscosin with the company and finishing a 26-oz. porterhouse steak at Chicago's finest Gibson's Steakhouse (for Yan's birthday; I'm too cheap/poor to be a part of the regular clientèle...) Watch the before-and-after shots of my plate!
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