THE WALL STREET COCKROACH: SURVIVING THE STREET

The financial industry has become ever so complicated with processes and products that only a few understands that results in a global financial systemic loss. This is the new norm in the modern era that impacts everyone and especially to a financial professional. Those who are in the front lines in this industry are not immune to the fallouts and are golden parachutes are not for every financial professional.

THE WALL STREET COCKROACH is a story of a financial professional entering into the industry only to find the struggles trying to earn a living in the financial industry with humorous sarcasm and criticism. The story starts off with some historical background on financial crisis and the main character who is trying to enter the industry. The struggles begins with a young inexperienced college grad trying to get into the doors of the industry. Once entering the industry, the financial professional realizes the ins and outs of trying to survive by learning the tricks and backward practices needed to stay in the game. The constant searching for jobs, toxic work environments, long hours, high stress, backstabbing colleagues, failing projects, operations and other victories is a constant battle for a wall street Joe.

The protagonist does his best to find work after the 90s financial crisis where unemployment was extremely high. Jobs were scarce in the financial industry, so working in non-financial jobs were the only choices available. The protagonist with drive and determination finds work in the banking industry by luck with his accounting degree. The glitzy life of a banker is what drives many wishing to enter the industry, but what he discovers and experiences is not as expected. The first banking job was a nerve-racking experience with crumbs on the dollar. He struggles in his first step and the reader learns how it's like to work in a banking corporate environment. He learns his way around and overcomes obstacles, but it's only the beginning. Staying in one company throughout your career doesn't exist in finance and he strives for more experience and makes a job jump to another company. He moves forward and lands in a Japanese bank. The culture and work culture raises eyebrows. The workplace is very different and through the eyes of the wall street cockroach, and the bosses that he had to work with was almost too weird, you can't believe you are in a work environment. Again, the search continues, but there is a shift towards investment banks. The ridiculous interviews and stressful workplaces, the wall street cockroach is able to work at the bulge brackets only to experience another financial crisis. The environment of working at the bulge brackets are unbearable so an exodus plan needs to be executed. He resigns from the investment banking world and finds safe harbor at another Japanese firm, but only to find something surprising. During the same time of the crisis, the wall street cockroach finds work at a boutique investment bank and from there makes a better living, but lessons be learned of the hardships of working in financial services. The reorgs, the losses, job terminations, constantly looking over your shoulders is not what you would expect from the glorious views of media on wall street.