Hey folks,
Few months ago I posted my story about how I started living in my car after graduating college. Lots of people seemed not to believe it so I decided to post pics of my journey of living in my car for 442 days. I got a job in a small startup (data related). It was a $20 an hour contract position for 2 months but I got hired full time and now making 50k (which isn't much but I have a shelter now). It's still barely enough to pay bills. Still living paycheck to paycheck but not in the car. Living on a triangle shaped top floor somewhere in queens (I consider it a penthouse). My rent is relatively cheap - 750. It's funny that I can walk only in the middle part. Perks of being tall eh. I'm writing this just to share my feelings and observations. I've seen some shit show. Link with the pics will be at the bottom. Feel free to scroll it over and post comments if you have anything to say. All kind of criticism is taken well.
442 days sleeping in the car.
I've seen 2 summers and a winter. Winter was cold but manageable. I had a 0 degree sleeping bag and slept with woolen socks and scarf around my face so my ears wouldn't freeze. There's a picture of a water frozen in a water bottle. That's how cold it is in the car during the winter time. Summer is a bitch. It gets so hot and humid that you cannot breathe. Even with open windows (not fully open for safety reasons). I used to get 2-3 hours of sleep max during the summer. Would go to gym and sleep couple of hours with AC. Worst feeling is when cops knock on your window. I don't know what kind of mofos do that but some people call cops when they see someone sleeping in the car. Get a life suckers. Cops usually ask for an ID to see if you're running away from something. And they ask why was I sleeping in the car. I'd say straight forward that I'm fucking homeless and discriminating homeless is illegal. If you'd seen looks on their faces. Priceless...
I parking in a service exit called Vince Lombardi in NJ and slept there for a year. I've seen people sleeping in their cars, usually SUVs. I've never seen anyone who's been there as long as I did. Most people left after couple of weeks. Maybe family issues or whatsoever. I'd feel kind of sad when there somebody who parked there everyday for sometime and never came back. We might have never talked but we knew that we were there.
Help from WSO members
I appreciated everyone's support who commented any positive stuff. I've met 3 people in real life from WSO and spoke on the phone with 2. Few people wanted to know my identity by asking my resume (I guess students who graduated same school). Sike, I didn't have much friends in college so chances of you knowing me is slim to none. Talking about friends, I've lost them all. I was pretty open about what I was going through, why am I doing it (not to declare bankruptcy), and try to explain how important credit score was. Only 2 friends that I got distanced themselves from me, 1 kept calling me a hobo, another one just runs his mouth way too much and toxic. So there I was, with no friends, isolated, living in a car, doing food deliveries to pay bills. Which was kind of a journey, a pleasant one because nobody got hurt.
As I mentioned, I've met 3 people from WSO. I appreciate the time they spent to meet me but I dont get why 2 of them decided to meet me. They wanted to see me in person or hear from myself? I had to come all the way from Jersey just to say whatever I wrote on my previous post. However, 1 person was exceptional. Let's call him S - phd, quant, works for one of the biggest hedge funds. That dude is extremely smart and amazing human being. Although he wasn't able to help me in any way but him meeting me is already a lot. He tried whatever he could do tho. I saw him as a mentor though. I liked to talk to him. He talked in a very calm, peaceful tone and was my only friend with whom I could share my shitshow stories. He referred me to his friend who started a hedge fund and that friend referred me to his former colleague - from whom I got an interview. Prop trading firm on Park Ave. They said I have an interesting background and would consider me. Never reached back. I bugged them every week but they kept saying reach us back next month.
About my current job.
We're a small team and I'm the last hire. I got hired full time and was promoted to analyst 2. Manager was thinking to make me senior analyst but somebody else got it. Some people like to talk shit about other's work to get themselves promoted instead of showing a good performance. Cheap shot move, but whatever works. Pay is not high or even competitive. But who am I to complain after living in a car for 442 days. I am surrounded by 4 walls and sleep with straight legs. That's already a huge progress for me. I'm still trying to get into hedge funds. I manage my workflow well and am highest performer within other analysts. It's good to have solid spreadsheet and some python skills. A lot of tasks can be automated. I improved my python and made some very simple algo trading systems. So far on paper trading it is generating revenue. This is what I wanted to do initially and what I will be chasing as a career. It's funny how S said "Finding a job is like finding a wife. You'll see a lot of attractive ones but you'll end up with one you can get". Ouch, but true. I'm thinking to get few months more experience here and try applying for quant trader jobs or prop shops or legit hedge fund analyst jobs. That seems like the only way to get my financials to the next level.
One another thing to mention is suicidal thoughts. Of course you try to be positive and squeeze all the juice you got but those thoughts come once in a while. It's like man period i guess. Fighting yourself was a big part of the journey.
Right now I'm in 110k debt. I have no clue how I'm gonna pay for it, I guess hustling is the only way. I'm doing food deliveries after work for 3-4 hours 3-4 days a week. That gives me about 250-300 extra.
Here are the pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/gLkNpCg
Feel free to ask any questions. Every comment will be answered.
PS: Never stop hustling.
Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain’t you! You’re better than that!
https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/from-homeless-to-front-office
I would love to show your and the above stories to anyone who complains about something being difficult
with your technical background I doubt it'll be the case, but if you ever consider PWM or coming to the southeast, PM me, I'm at a big firm (UBS/Merrill/MS) and happy to stick my neck out for a hustler.
don't worry about the debt at the moment. make minimum payments and keep actively seeking higher paying jobs, you'll find that living on a shoestring for years has built a level of frugality that will pay big dividends later in life. as you get raises in income, don't increase your lifestyle proportionally. e.g. when you get a job paying 70k, maybe only increase your living expenses as if you were making 60k, as an example
Clearly you are at UBS if you believe it is on par with BAML/MS
in PWM, the biggest 3 firms are UBS, Merrill, and Morgan
try again, anonymous prick
How you read this as a success story and not as evidence of something broken in the machine is confusing to me. I don't know if it's delusion or denial.
Redemption stories like the ones you're talking about should be reserved for crack heads and alcoholics, not a kid full of energy who just got his college degree.
get the fuck out of here. I'm trying to celebrate hustle and you're making this about politics. I can't save the world or fix the system, but I can throw this bro a bone. you're doing nothing but complaining. you want to fix things? offer to help like I did. volunteer and help the poor like I do.
fuck off, virtue signaling cuck
yes, PWM is sales. my offer stands though, and I wish you the best of luck
I am really skeptical of this story and I encourage WSO to be too. We can’t led kids f**k up for 4 years, live careless lives and then come to this forum looking for redemption. You consistently had a poor judgment so now have the perseverance to deal with it
Keep it coming Anonymous Associate 1 in PE - LBOs :)
I think you need a reality check. The roles you are gunning for are in competition by 3.5+ targets and 3.9+ non targets who grinded in college for several years. NYC is the best city in the country for finance and will attract top talent. Not to mention you seem dead set on FO roles (prop trading, HF, etc.) With your GPA you are a huge risk and burden for these companies. Why should they take you when there are hundreds of more qualified candidates. Also you seem to be unwilling to get help (food stamps, welfare) that is avaiiable to those who are homeless. I understand you are a type A alpha but you neeed a to understand that beggars cant b echoosers. the brofessor has already offered you a job opportunity. It's best to take it. You can't really call yourself the "back office" guy when you dont have a 3.8+ STEM major and aren't nerdy.
tldr. Take what you can find even if it isn't exactly your desired job.
Thanks for your input, I appreciate that. I agree with most what you're saying. But you're getting this wrong. Not all back office guys are STEM major with 3.8 GPA. Matter fact, I'm working at a tech startup as researcher, yet my coding skills are on par or even better with junior developers. You can't just come in and say "oh you didn't have excellent gpa therefore you're not a nerd". I did well on classes that I was interested (derivatives, tech analysis, investment analysis etc). While I barely passed english literature class and few other simple classes that require shit ton writing.
Men who are not disabled yet claim foodstamps and walfare are disgrace to the mankind. I agree i fucked up with school and personal finances. I had too high expectations after getting a college degree. Me living in my car was part of taking responsibility. I didn't ask anyone for anything except an opportunity to prove myself in a work field.
Prop trading, HF seems far to reach from where I'm standing. I agree. But when I started sleeping in my car lots of nay-sayers said I cannot survive a week, then a month, then winter, summer, anything. I did. I paid all my dues and never missed a payment on anything. My credit isn't fucked which gives me a chance for a brighter future. You're right on almost everything but never discourage a man from his dreams. A man might fall but he'll get up. I could to a coding bootcamp and maybe that'll open doors to HFs. There's a decent chance that I have better technical skills than 3.8 students.
The fight is not over yet. Anything in life worth doing is worth overdoing. Moderation is for cowards.