Trip to NYC - The details..
What a week it was!! Extremely tiring - but lots of fun. Dunno where to start.
The trip - "Week on Wall Street" was organized by the Finance Club. There were presentations organized at almost 10 firms. Each firm had their recruiters and some representatives talk about life at the firm, different career tracks etc. Most firms had a very interactive session where you could mingle with the representatives over cocktails. One was able to get substantial time with senior people within the firm.
It is so exciting being able to listen to and exchange ideas with people who have worked in the industry. I am extremely passionate about the financial markets. So, these interactions left me very happy.
I spent substantial time on the trading floors of Wall Street. Interacting with people over cocktails/lunch/small groups is very different from having a one-on-one conversation. The people I met were happy to give me their time and share their thoughts. In most cases, our discussions went on for much longer than intended. Eg. In one firm I had 2 appointments of 30 minutes each - but ended up spending about 3 hours but still wasn't done. I hope to return there again. At another bank, the idea was to talk to people for about 1 hour, but I ended up making 2 visits spending over 3 hours in all talking to 4-5 people.
A friend of mine I hadn't seen for almost 7 years was instrumental in arranging meetings for me at a place where we didn't have a formal presentation set up. Extremely senior people spent time with me advising me on how to make career choices and talking about what their groups did. Again, I cannot be grateful enough for these gestures. The best part was when one MD looked at my resume and asked "So, how was Etah?" That made a connection like nothing could!
At NY, I stayed with a friend of mine who is also my neighbor at my hometown. So, I was going home each night to a space that I was comfortable in.
Over the week I did some touristy things too - visited Times Square, 5th Avenue, Central Park, Battery Park. Wanted to take the ferry to Staten Island to get a close dekko at the Statue of Liberty - but didn't have the time. Wanted to watch "Bombay Dreams" on Broadway - but didn't feel wealthy enough to afford it :-D.
The last day was the highlight of the trip. Getting together after 7 years to know that we haven't changed at all feels awesome. Helped the friend move into his upper east side apartment and then grabbed a dinner while we had some great conversation. Our thoughts on long term goals seemed to be totally in sync. Both of us felt very lucky to be present in a time when India is undergoing a structural change. Also, each of us has had the fortune of having a strong foundation and being exposed to the western world. Combined with our passion to make an impact in India, we agreed it was incumbent on us to plan out our careers so that we don't waste this golden opportunity to make a difference. Time will tell whether we are able to translate our hopes into reality.
The trip to New York confirmed to me that there exists a strong network of alumni from my alma mater on Wall Street. Each of them is happy to assist in every way possible. Add that to the fabulous Tuck network and I need to be an idiot not to get an internship of choice!
New York City
Yesterday - I finished my first term exams at Tuck (at 2:00 am!) and then left for New York at 10 am (after missing the 8 am bus because I slept through the 6:30 am alarm!!!)
It is my first visit to New York City. First impressions are lasting impressions - and I think I like New York. Am already comfortable with the subway system. The city is organized like a grid and that helps pple who are visiting.
We have been doing some visits to investment banks. The visits have been interesting so far - and the people we have met all have captivating stories to tell us (for most part!)
New York reminds me a lot of Mumbai (Bombay). Everybody is going about life with a purpose. Nobody has a minute to spare - except when you ask for directions! 10 years ago, I had planned to live and work in Mumbai for sometime because I love the city. I wouldn't mind swapping that for New York. Details on NYC visit in next blog.
The moment of truth!
I had been evading it for almost 3 weeks. At first I thought it didn't matter. Then it was denial - that it wouldn't happen to me. I was okay, I told myself. Yesterday I faced reality. In under 3 weeks, I had gained 4 pounds! Just before I got on the elliptical trainer yesterday, I found out that I was throwing around more weight than I had bargained for :(
Before I put my feet on the scale, I was quite confident that the sporadic hockey games and the last two days of intense squash games would tilt the scales in my favor. But, it was not to be!
The cans of cola, the fried food, ripple chips dipped in all kinds of fatty dips, bars of Snickers - were all conspiring against me. At 144 pounds, I am not fat by any stretch of imagination, but reading New Market Wizards for 4 days has made me acutely aware of momentum and the havoc it can wreak.
Now I realize the deception behind calories. 140 calories make a can of Coke. And you just can't believe how quickly you can drink that sugar laden carbonated liquid. It took me 20 sweaty minutes (with my heavier self!) on the trainer to burn 210 calories. So, from today - no more cola. Just plain water - thank you. Occasionally, I will permit myself the luxury of having iced water.
Later this evening, I went to BJ's to do some shopping. And guess what I got - a large box of Snickers (48 bars) and a large box of cookies (36 packs of 2 servings of 4 small cookies each). I tell myself I will take till the end of January to run through these. How long do you think they will last ?
The spark!
It happens to all of us at different times, in different situations. You meet somebody. And a few minutes into the interaction, you can almost predict the words the person is speaking. The passion and enthusiasm the person exudes is infectious. You hang on to every word. Mentally, you can already see the connection. Just interacting feels good. You want to know more and more. The more you know - the more you feel your initial impression was right. Is it reflexivity at work? Then you see another and then another. You feel elated. Almost ecstatic!!
No - I am not talking about love here!! For from it, I am talking serious career stuff. A firm made a presentation last week - and I think I just loved what I saw and heard. While it throws my proposed career plan off course (completely!), I think this is one of the times when I am gonna trust my gut. So, the next few weeks, I am going to research trading as a career. Since I am the kind who puts my money where my mouth is and the best way to see whether trading is right for you is to be a trader, I plan to test drive it for atleast 2 months before my intership interviews. Will keep you updated on the progress. As of now, I can appreciate the difference between risk averseness and risk control.
The past week was fun. As I speak to my friends at other business schools, I get a sense of the difference in experience I am having. Most people seem to be studying really hard, horribly stressed out and lacking an active social life. On the other hand, I am able to participate in sport (okay - only ice hockey and agreed I get to hit the puck once during the game - but atleast that!!), be an active member of multiple clubs, party occasionally (down from frequently) and do some studies to boot.
This morning we had the day of service. A group of us helped put up the dry wall at the house of a needy person. Learnt something about how houses are insulated in cold Vermont. As always, felt good about giving back in a small way to the community I am part of. We were discussing what surprised each of us about Tuck - and a couple of us thought the fact that the place is exactly what it is made out to be, without any exaggeration is the surprising aspect of the school.
Watched Old School last night. Hilarious comedy. Missed the third debate. Am looking forward to the elections. They are very closely fought. I don't have any favourites - and like parts of each candidate's platform.
Dinners, Lunches, Parties and Hockey!
Friday night, a huge group of us landed up at Moosilauke Lodge. The drive there was beautiful. The trees had various hues and the hills looked colorful. And to think in just a few weeks, they will all be bare :(. The overnight trip gave a good chance for us to let our hair down after a very hectic week. The fact that we had received our marked accounting exams earlier that afternoon brought a sense of urgency to escape from Hanover.
The party that followed dinner was rather wild and went on into the wee hours of the morning. It seemed like people wanted to turn back time and be back in their undergrad days. I chose to get to bed early to catch up on some much needed sleep.
The drive back the next day was thought provoking. Well, it wasn't the drive but the conversation that got me thinking. There have been times where I have chosen easy proxies as filters for my mind - and a couple of friends encouraged me to scrutinize them hard. And scrutinize them I will - but it will be a long drawn process. I consider myself fortunate to be in the company of super smart people who really care!
During the week I had lunch and dinner with a couple of visiting executives. Tuck has this program called Alan Smith Visiting Executive Program. Most executives who visit Tuck make themselves available for lunch/dinner/office hours/round table. So I had lunch with the treasurer of a telecom company and an executive who leads the strategy function in a high tech company. Each of them told us about their professional life, the decisions they made. It made for a very insightful discussion. Then we had this round table with an alum from an investment bank. So, we could ask any questions we wanted - in a non-evaluative environment.
Hockey continues at a frenetic pace. Like all things @ Tuck, the learning curve is steep. We played our first game on Thursday. My skating skills (or the lack of them) require me to play defense. The drafts took place on Thursday and we will be practicing for the playoffs soon. If i continue learning at this rate, I can probably represent India in the next Winter Olympics ;-).
A couple of days ago, I felt the need to listen to local radio - Radiocity from my city, Bangalore. There was no internet feed - so I got my sister to play it to me across the internet from home! It transported me back home for a short while! Small pleasures make life so wonderful :)
Then a friend told me of an Internet Radio from UAE - and from now on - it will rule the airwaves in my corner of the world. Chaaye Chaaye - the singers from Strings croon. A perfect lullaby to put me to sleep after a long day.
Ice Hockey & some relaxation..
We had Friday and Saturday and Sunday off! Getting 3 days of 'holidays' is a major stress release. Just thinking about it made me happy - and now it is all over, I am happy I had a great time.
Last night we had the first ice hockey practice session. Before coming to Tuck I had not even rollerbladed not to speak of skated on ice. So, it was a very exciting new experience. The first session was good (held at an absolutely unearthly hour of midnight!). I am able to balance myself on skates and get moving. Many second year students were helping us learn. There were some who hadn't skated before and now skated like they could be part of the Dartmouth hockey team. So, I am inspired to put my best foot forward.
Ice skating and by extension hockey is a very strenous sport. Last night I spent just over 15 mins actually skating and my clothes were soaked in sweat (yeah - on a frozen skating rink!). Guess I have found the elliptical trainer replacement for winter!
Saturday we had a scavenger hunt. The objective being to help the first and second years know each other better. Scavenger hunt @ Tuck consists of lots of small games and challenges that second years put together. To qualify as a game or a challenge, an essential component is - Beer!
Saturday night I attended the Chinese Moon Festival, listened to Chinese songs and ate moon cake. Sometime next year I hope to make a trip to China to get a first hand feel of what is taking place there.
Friday was the 'shop till you drop' day. We went over to Wretham Premium Outlet mall and picked up loads of winter clothes. Jackets, fleece etc. Then we had some malaysian food at Penang (Harvard square Boston) and ice cream at Tossinini's (sp?). When I got back at 2 am - I was sure it was among the most enjoyable leisure days I had spent here.
The week is beginning - so it is time to put my nose back to the grinding wheel. 1 exam, a dinner with a visiting executive and lots of corporate presentations + hockey will form the week ahead.
Au revoir.
