The story of how an airplane conversation lead to a career goal

As a 9th grader in high school, I was on an airplane ride from Venice, Italy back to the United States. I saw the lady next to me working away on financials on an Excel document. I asked her - so what are you working on?

She mentioned that she had worked at a bulge bracket investment bank and now she was attending Harvard Business School. She went on to regale stories of the amazing people she met, the exhilaration of sitting in a business class seat for the first time, and how she worked her butt off getting an internship from Arizona State University. I was hooked - line and sinker.

What made you choose finance as your career? Tell me your story!