Taking pride in your job
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Some may not agree with me but I view a career as an FA as having a certain degree of intrinsic value as well as high income potential. If in my first few years as a fully licensed FA I make about the same as I did as a Staff Sergeant in the military (not too much) I won’t spend my nights drinking myself into a stupor because I believed I’d live the life of a “hotshot” stockbroker within months of employment. If I’m making $40,000 - $50,000 after my first year or two I’ll be OK because there are a number of professions out there that I would be MUCH less proud to say I have. I could’ve been a middle manager of some boring company that manufactures some frivolous product… I could’ve got in on the Subway franchise and chose to make sandwiches all day….or I could have been some supervisor at a factory. Instead I chose a profession that I’m proud to have and will work hard for day in and day out because of the satisfaction I receive from the intangible rewards associated with being a licensed securities professional.
Do not assume that I’m setting low standards for myself. I expect to be a superior performer based off of my exceptional performances in previous sales jobs, having completed an MBA, and unparalleled work-ethic obtained through my years in the Air Force. I’m just making the point that I’d much rather make $50,000 per year as a young clean-cut EDJ FA writing my own paycheck and confidently admitting what I do for a living when asked instead of making $80,000 per year under an A-hole boss while working out of some cubical.
[quote=bastermind80]
Some may not agree with me but I view a career as an FA as having a certain degree of intrinsic value as well as high income potential. If in my first few years as a fully licensed FA I make about the same as I did as a Staff Sergeant in the military (not too much) I won’t spend my nights drinking myself into a stupor because I believed I’d live the life of a “hotshot” stockbroker within months of employment. If I’m making $40,000 - $50,000 after my first year or two I’ll be OK because there are a number of professions out there that I would be MUCH less proud to say I have. I could’ve been a middle manager of some boring company that manufactures some frivolous product… I could’ve got in on the Subway franchise and chose to make sandwiches all day….or I could have been some supervisor at a factory. Instead I chose a profession that I’m proud to have and will work hard for day in and day out because of the satisfaction I receive from the intangible rewards associated with being a licensed securities professional.
Do not assume that I’m setting low standards for myself. I expect to be a superior performer based off of my exceptional performances in previous sales jobs, having completed an MBA, and unparalleled work-ethic obtained through my years in the Air Force. I’m just making the point that I’d much rather make $50,000 per year as a young clean-cut EDJ FA writing my own paycheck and confidently admitting what I do for a living when asked instead of making $80,000 per year under an A-hole boss while working out of some cubical.
[/quote][quote=smokescreen agent][quote=bastermind80]
Some may not agree with me but I view a career as an FA as having a certain degree of intrinsic value as well as high income potential. If in my first few years as a fully licensed FA I make about the same as I did as a Staff Sergeant in the military (not too much) I won’t spend my nights drinking myself into a stupor because I believed I’d live the life of a “hotshot” stockbroker within months of employment. If I’m making $40,000 - $50,000 after my first year or two I’ll be OK because there are a number of professions out there that I would be MUCH less proud to say I have. I could’ve been a middle manager of some boring company that manufactures some frivolous product… I could’ve got in on the Subway franchise and chose to make sandwiches all day….or I could have been some supervisor at a factory. Instead I chose a profession that I’m proud to have and will work hard for day in and day out because of the satisfaction I receive from the intangible rewards associated with being a licensed securities professional.
Do not assume that I’m setting low standards for myself. I expect to be a superior performer based off of my exceptional performances in previous sales jobs, having completed an MBA, and unparalleled work-ethic obtained through my years in the Air Force. I’m just making the point that I’d much rather make $50,000 per year as a young clean-cut EDJ FA writing my own paycheck and confidently admitting what I do for a living when asked instead of making $80,000 per year under an A-hole boss while working out of some cubical.
[/quote] To each his own, in some ways I can even relate to the "satisfaction I receive from the intangible rewards associated with being a licensed securities professional. " thing that you said... Which, BTW, sounds completely ridiculous and pretentious, afterall being licensed is a minimum requirement, kudos on the MBA though there's something most of the top level producers don't have, sales matter more than knowledge it's all about how much you produce. I think there's a lot of FAs in the branch that think they are too good to send their own checks or make their own photocopies so they delegate this to their assistants, not because they don't have the time but because they feel too important to do the "busy work." I have always had a lot of respect for a business owner that will grab a mop and clean the shop with his crew, I thought it was laughable when I would see some FAs actually delegate work when just doing it themselves would take less time than the delegation process and the clients would probably have been better served not having instructions passed through an extra loop, all this delegation was doing was wasting time and feeding egos really. After leaving the business it seems that a lot of the things you are painting with a brush of beauty are the things I actually had a problem with. I wasn't thrilled with the idea that the FA can almost be seen as a crumb-snatcher in the sense your job is to find sucessful people with a lot of money and basically you are trying to sell then to get a small piece, or a crumb, off their plate, do that 100 times and you've got enough crumbs for your very own meal. I guess you're post just comes at an odd time because most clients are looking at their statements and they are wondering why they were not in cash while the market fell, these clients know their advisors don't collect a fee if they go to cash, and if their guy didn't see this one turning south how can they justify the big fee. I wanted to get away from the whole 'working with other people's money' track, and actually wanted to work with a "company that manufactures some frivolous product", which I must say is frivolous in some ways but VERY far from being boring, because there's no big issue now if I don't cut my hair a certain way or decide to not shave or if I'm not the nicest guy or don't play the politics it doesn't really matter as long as I do my job good. I was striving for something that was a highly specialized "regular job" where my advancement would be based on my skill and not so much my networking and smoozing ability, I remember all the brokers talking about "phoning" today and I just look at a "phone" as an object not an activity, I guess to some degree I got to a point where I felt like calling people basically asking for money was not a 'real job'. I think though when I am older I may go back to the securities industry, probably not though, I do know I want to build my career and spend my young years working with what I do now because it's actually taking a hobby and warking it into my job, a lot of what I do for "fun" is actually what I do at work now, there was never a point at the wirehouse where I said "this is FUN". Not trying to be a dick with this post, just pretty interesting how my reasons for leaving are almost the same as what you enjoy, to each his own I guess.[/quote]You talk gooder English then most.
You talk gooder English then most.
[/quote] thanks, I put a lot of effort into my writing here because I know it is important to my credentials as a writer.
[quote=smokescreen agent]
[quote=Hank Moody]You talk gooder English then most.
[/quote] thanks, I put a lot of effort into my writing here because I know it is important to my credentials as a writer. [/quote]
I don't know about all of that, but you've certainly stamped yourself as a frivolous product salesman.
[quote=iceco1d][quote=smokescreen agent]
[quote=Hank Moody]You talk gooder English then most.
[/quote] thanks, I put a lot of effort into my writing here because I know it is important to my credentials as a writer. [/quote] You think the quality of your posts on this forum have an effect on your credentials as a writer? Wow.[/quote] You've GOT to be shitting me!? You thought I was being serious??? I thought you were smarter than that, damn... okay, no more jokes ever... I don't spell check or care about sentence structure on a message board, this guy was basically dodging my points and focusing on my shitty writing style, my response was sarcastic.
[quote=Hank Moody] [quote=smokescreen agent]
[quote=Hank Moody]You talk gooder English then most.
[/quote] thanks, I put a lot of effort into my writing here because I know it is important to my credentials as a writer. [/quote]
I don't know about all of that, but you've certainly stamped yourself as a frivolous product salesman.
[/quote]
Baster, if you’re making 50k after three years with EJ, they’re going to ask you to leave, if you haven’t already washed out.
Either way man … good luck. You’ll either win or lose but is that any different from any other profession? Good luck!
[quote=smokescreen agent][quote=Hank Moody] [quote=smokescreen agent]
[quote=Hank Moody]You talk gooder English then most.
[/quote] thanks, I put a lot of effort into my writing here because I know it is important to my credentials as a writer. [/quote]
I don't know about all of that, but you've certainly stamped yourself as a frivolous product salesman.
[/quote] My whole point is that most of the top producers are exactly "frivolous product salesman"- they don't know anything about capital markets, they are generally not too bright, and they sell sell sell!!! Their avg client is down 40% right now because they did not move to cash because these guys won't get paid if they move to cash and now the gig is up, no more smoke and mirrors, hopefully the clients cast their vote by signing ACAT forms. Anyone thinking this industry is full of iconic pride and truely is about helping people needs to take a cold shower, let's be honest here production is what everyone focuses on not satisfaction or "warm fuzzy feelings". I just read another thread where the OP was saying he's not even licensed yet, so in theory this entire thread is baseless as I was responding to someone projecting how they think they will feel when they are licensed etc. For the record, I don't sell anything, I love how Hank thinks doorknocking/coldcalling is the only gig in the world, stop assuming things. [/quote]
We might not be too bright, but we sure got an emotional reaction out of you. That means that we are the owner of you.
I don't think this is necessarily a win or lose profession. I usually fall somewhere between the two.Either way man … good luck. You’ll either win or lose but is that any different from any other profession? Good luck!
[quote=iceco1d][quote=smokescreen agent][quote=Hank Moody] [quote=smokescreen agent]
[quote=Hank Moody]You talk gooder English then most.
[/quote] thanks, I put a lot of effort into my writing here because I know it is important to my credentials as a writer. [/quote]
I don't know about all of that, but you've certainly stamped yourself as a frivolous product salesman.
[/quote] My whole point is that most of the top producers are exactly "frivolous product salesman"- they don't know anything about capital markets, they are generally not too bright, and they sell sell sell!!! Their avg client is down 40% right now because they did not move to cash because these guys won't get paid if they move to cash and now the gig is up, no more smoke and mirrors, hopefully the clients cast their vote by signing ACAT forms. Anyone thinking this industry is full of iconic pride and truely is about helping people needs to take a cold shower, let's be honest here production is what everyone focuses on not satisfaction or "warm fuzzy feelings". I just read another thread where the OP was saying he's not even licensed yet, so in theory this entire thread is baseless as I was responding to someone projecting how they think they will feel when they are licensed etc. For the record, I don't sell anything, I love how Hank thinks doorknocking/coldcalling is the only gig in the world, stop assuming things. [/quote] So the 'smart' advisors are the ones who decided to dabble in market timing, and move their clients to cash huh? Sorry for not picking up on the [/sarcasm] earlier...but this statement is just stupid.[/quote]
Stupid people tend to make stupid statements. The one about me doorknocking/coldcalling is a good example. I've never knocked on a door and haven't made a cold call in about 6 years.
[quote=Hank Moody] [quote=iceco1d][quote=smokescreen agent][quote=Hank Moody] [quote=smokescreen agent]
[quote=Hank Moody]You talk gooder English then most.
[/quote] thanks, I put a lot of effort into my writing here because I know it is important to my credentials as a writer. [/quote]
I don't know about all of that, but you've certainly stamped yourself as a frivolous product salesman.
[/quote] My whole point is that most of the top producers are exactly "frivolous product salesman"- they don't know anything about capital markets, they are generally not too bright, and they sell sell sell!!! Their avg client is down 40% right now because they did not move to cash because these guys won't get paid if they move to cash and now the gig is up, no more smoke and mirrors, hopefully the clients cast their vote by signing ACAT forms. Anyone thinking this industry is full of iconic pride and truely is about helping people needs to take a cold shower, let's be honest here production is what everyone focuses on not satisfaction or "warm fuzzy feelings". I just read another thread where the OP was saying he's not even licensed yet, so in theory this entire thread is baseless as I was responding to someone projecting how they think they will feel when they are licensed etc. For the record, I don't sell anything, I love how Hank thinks doorknocking/coldcalling is the only gig in the world, stop assuming things. [/quote] So the 'smart' advisors are the ones who decided to dabble in market timing, and move their clients to cash huh? Sorry for not picking up on the [/sarcasm] earlier...but this statement is just stupid.[/quote]
Stupid people tend to make stupid statements. The one about me doorknocking/coldcalling is a good example. I've never knocked on a door and haven't made a cold call in about 6 years.
[/quote] Yeah okay Hank, looks like you're getting emotional and coming back... Did someone say owned? Oh yeah, you did! Looks like the ownership changed hands, gimmi a break and move on or go cry. You assumed I am in sales, I am not, figure of speech and you're taking it too personal.