Busy Day...But Not Too Busy to Blog

Man, too much going on...feel a little scattered, too. I did a career counseling thing for some aspiring SFU BBA students yesterday. 2 of the 6 were no-shows, though, which meant I could bolt early for lunch but made me a little pissed. There were a reported 20-odd others on the waiting list so it was not only an inconvenience to me but to those who wanted to get in there as well. Here's a hint for getting a finance (or any) job: don't be late or miss appointments.

Ok, that's done. On the upside the 4 dudes (they were all guys) I spoke with were an interesting bunch. One was prime banking material: he's studied the books (not only school ones, but also those on the business) and had a good overall look and style. Another was a bit off in his diction (Chinese fellow) so I gave him the advice of getting a few English-speaking friends to get his language better--the guy had a deadly GPA but that does dick for you in a presentation. One other guy had an interesting slant: already started a little trading fund. Problem was all his ideas were based on technical analysis and news releases...something that the guys here might like, but hardly the sort of stuff investment banks rely on for their advice (I would hope). And finally, another Chinese guy (3 outta 4 is par for the course in finance classes these days) had a push from his parents to be a banker but hardly the drive and obvious ambition to go get it. For him: take a vacation, figure things out then start life with a clear purpose.

One thing I do recommend for those in the business or looking into it is take a look at the Albourne Village. It's a free site specializing in Alternative Investment and Hedge Fund Stuff, but much of it is applicable to long-only (your typical buy, no short, idea) and other traditional investments. If you need a referral code put in 'sunasset' (my employer when I was in Korea) and you can get daily or weekly news as well as browse the Job Centre. I found a position in there which helped hasten my move from Korea (it's always better to go to something); it fell through, but gave me the idea that there is a whole world out there to take a look at.

On the business/work front things are coming together. My main concern here was that the brokers would be wary of an estate planning/insurance guy like me--even with my experience (having been in their chair for 5 years). Thankfully, it looks as if I'm fitting in...knock on wood. (You know I always used to hate those little sayings, but now I find myself saying them...nutty.) Thing is, my licensing is taking forever. The guy taking care of that (not me) dropped the ball a few times so I'm getting a little pissed that things are taking so long. You may know that much of this business is not salary-type work so the longer I'm off the market the more stressed I can get. Anyways, it's on track and things could be better in that area, but I guess it could be worse--the brokers could think I'm an idiot (that would make this a no-goer)--so I better shut up while I'm (more or less) ahead.

The ol' conductor on the train I take everyday finally packed it in and retired on Friday. Imagine riding the rails for 37 years...good God. For some the routine would be nice, but I'd call it monotonous. I need to have a few different things happening everyday to keep my interested and awake.

Well, better check out a few things and get some work done.