Escaping From Wall Street
When ex-Merrill banker Mike Howe gets up in the morning he gets no flashbacks to the movie Groundhog Day.His day is not the same old story all over again. He has found a job which blends fun and fulfillment and now he wants to sell you on it.
Mike’s moving to New York to help bored finance workers escape Wall Street for far-flung jobs and adventures, from Mongolian venture capital to African charities. He works for a company called Escape the City, a place many of you have or will be hearing about from your fellow cubicle slaves in the very near future.
The idea couldn’t be simpler. In fact, now that I have read about it I am kicking myself for not doing something similar when I first thought about this issue years ago. Entrepreneurial monkeys take heed at the words of co-founder Rob Symington, a Ernst & Young defector, himself:
Escape the City was created specifically to help talented people escape from unfulfilling corporate jobs after we realized that our own feelings of misery and frustration at work were shared by a lot of people. We stumbled upon a business opportunity by following a hunch about job dissatisfaction to its logical conclusion.
Here is how the magic works. Escape the City advertises jobs that meet its criteria of adventure and enterprise. The company spreads the word with weekly e-mails of jobs from Indian microfinance to Moroccan surf camps, and evening events where adventurers regale crowds with tales of skateboarding across Australia or cycling around the world. On top of what really sounds more like a travel site than anything, ETC has already gone profitable. Ask any of your VC buddies… this is not the norm for new businesses.
I assume many of you guys have either heard about Escape the City from your fellow cubicle slaves or will be hearing about it from satisfied clients/customers in the very near future. This is an open invite for every monkey who is bored to death and cannot take it anymore, to take a chance. There are now officially no excuses to going on that safari through Africa or shooting those rapids somewhere in the Amazon. Now you can have a local paid gig doing what you do now, but actually fun.
I also hope that the would-be entrepreneurs amongst you are paying attention to just how easy it can be to make money, help people and do something fun. Here’s to this week being different and exciting. Enjoy your Memorial Day and take it easy boys and girls.
Thanks for this MMM. Who knows, I may need this in the future (despite not living in NYC, nor working in finance).
Thanks for sharing. +1 SB
I love it. I also love how the people commenting on this are all certified users (what does that tell you?).
My one complaint -- a number of these positions are lacking in the "coolness/adventure" category. Senior Manager at Skype -- seriously? That is someone's idea of an "escape?" I pity their life.
http://www.escapethecity.org/opportunities/38515/Skype
Haha -- good point.
You can say that again. How hard would it be to create cool ones of your own?
Yeah, some of these jobs really aren't much of an "escape"
But that's not to say there aren't some really cool ones out there (just be prepared not to be paid but have stories and an adventure of a lifetime)
Some of the really cool ones that stuck out were working for the FIFA U-20 in Medellin, Colombia where they would also help you learn Spanish for 4 hours a day during the time you're there. http://escapethecity.org/opportunities/37632
And being a surf instructor in Morocco....enough said... 1K GBP + 100 GBP monthly traveling stipend is ridiculously good for that kind of lifestyle... makes me wish I spoke more French and could surf better.... http://escapethecity.org/opportunities/38531/Surf-Berbere-S.A.R.L.
Very true.
Midas! This is so inspiring. I will definitely have a crack at this once I get some proper experience. So good!
thanks for the post. ive been browsing the website and it's very intriguing
What? You mean finance isn't a 24/7 party with models and bottles? Why would you EVER want to leave?
Cowards. like, jus be thankful you even have jobs in this shitty economy. most people would kill to be a cubicle slave to put food on the table. ever heard of hobbies?? u can get away from the city in ur own free time.. u do have lots, cause it's not like ur jobs are time consuming.. LOSERS!
Cowards. like, jus be thankful you even have jobs in this shitty economy. most people would kill to be a cubicle slave to put food on the table. ever heard of hobbies?? u can get away from the city in ur own free time.. u do have lots, cause it's not like ur jobs are time consuming.. LOSERS!
Hey Triple. stfu. the only thing worth going to work for is the cash.
i cant think of a more pathetic existence...oh great...i hate my life but the cash is good
i have never met anybody in my life, including ppl who struggle to make ends meet, and live day by day, who are as unhappy as we are.
we are where we are because we are on the top of our game. i dont care if a homeless guy would kill to backtest principal protected notes. hes not in my seat. im in my seat, and i fucken hate my job cash is aweeeewomeee!!!!
this is a great concept
No IP hang gliding remarks? I am speechless.
Fuck you for posting this.....take it down immediately, the last thing I need is all of you lot applying for the same jobs as me and increasing the competition.
I've applied for a couple over the last few months, not got anywhere yet, think the competition is pretty tough!!
Hello all, Mikey from Esc the City here, nice to see a mix of comments about our site. We have a new site coming live in the next month or so, do drop us e-mails with any suggestions you have. +ve and -ve feedback is always appreciated. We want to fill the site with opportunities that cater for the whole range of "escapes" that people aspire to so any input is great!
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