When I was around 10 years old or so I realized that (1) having money was much prefferrable to not having money and (2) the best way (so I thought) to get money was to go work on Wall St. I never had any interest in chasing some fucking ball around. Why? Is there money inside the ball? I just wanted to make fucking money. So....
(1) Why after so many years does it seem that chasing a fucking ball around would have been so much more helpful than the enterpreneurial activities I have engaged in for a finance career,and
(2) Why is it so fucking wrong to just say " I want to work here because I want to make fucking money?"
1) if you were a D1/D2/D3 athlete and still managed to crank out a 3.5-4.0 I think that shows a lot of skills in the management/ability to prioritize category, considering any time spent at gym/practice/games/travel was time directly not spent on academics. Now to play devil's advocate, yea if you played a sport you also likely had a study hall/tutors at the ready and all the help you could want but at the end of the day you gave up a substantial more amount of time specifically not to academia then the average student.
2) Saying you "want to work here bc I want to make money," is like being that dbag at a party who after midnight corrects someone when they say "yo tonight's pregame got me lit no more beers for this guy" with the "don't you mean yesterday's pregame" line. It's factually correct, but fuck you, you vapid little shit. (All credit to John Mulaney)
You sound like a bitter nerd.
so you're upset because you never wanted to play sports and your positions have gone against you since 2009? this seems like a reasonable response.
don't hate jocks for being successful, this is capitalism at its finest. it's like why do actors make money? they provide entertainment, just like athletes. but yeah, ditto to everyone else who said it's tough balancing, I'd rather have someone with a 3.5GPA who played varsity sports and had a part time job than someone with a 4.0 and the personality of a stapler. hustle is always in demand.
as for your folio, stay diversified and patient, your time will come.
Athletes know how to push themselves to the limit in times of great need. Athletes work well with others, thrive in a team atmosphere, and typically build up their teammates and peers with encouragement as well as bashing on them, which is all part of a healthy and fruitful relationship with others to produce target-oriented results.
Because, when you look at the booknerd who got a 4.0 and did no activities, you think, "will this guy have what it takes when the project goes off the rails and he has to pull and all nighter alone to submit to me for a morning deadline to the client?" Questionable. Athlete? He knows when its time to take one for the team and when shit needs to get done. Hard work does produce results with the right amount of talent.
I will always look favorably on successful and motivated athletes as well as veterans.
But again...i said this before....fundamentally, running around chasing a ball has never, ever, ever held my attention even for a moment. I like skiing, i love the gym, i love everything automotive/motorcycle/ aircraft/ boat and can talk engines for hours. But chasing a ball is just so ......stupid. It is...and again, if a guy tells you he tried to start a hedge fund (which i did, but apparently you are not allowed to put on a resume /talk about) and i tell you I have successfully invested my own money as a real estate investor after the Crisis (just removed a tenant this month and getting ready to sell a property now) NO ONE GIVES A FUCK....AND THAT IS REAL. But chasing a ball around somehow trumps that. Its fucking maddening.
You speak with a lot of "I". These elite opportunities are looking for team players who create value for the team. It's one thing to have intelligence and even capability. It's another to have those and either be a team leader or an active team member. When "I" comes across to loudly, most hiring managers tune out because they don't see how that benefits them.
That's what a lot of kids don't get. It's not about you and what you can do. It's about how THEY perceive your skills benefiting THEM. You get to be one of them in 20 years. Until then, you need to fit in to their world or go start something on your own. It's really that simple.
(the ball chasers fit into their world quite nicely - will follow instructions, accept criticism without getting hurt feelings, work their butts off, celebrate team victories, run through a brick wall, etc. As long as they are smart and capable enough, that's all that is necessary)