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Funny story about relative job security... When I was still in the early stages of my first start-up, in autumn 2006, and working full-time at my consulting jo
by swombat 17y ago
Funny story about relative job security...
When I was still in the early stages of my first start-up, in autumn 2006, and working full-time at my consulting job, I was also interviewing with various banks. Through this excellent recruitment agent, I got a series of interviews at Lehman Brothers which ultimately culminated in them basically creating a job for me in their Front Office product management team and offering it to me.
This was a very good banking job. Front-office based, plenty of exposure to all parts of the bank, creative, intense, and well paid. I hesitated, because on the one hand I had committed into the business I was starting (to the tune of several thousand pounds, and, more importantly, to a close friend...), and on the other hand this was an excellent career opportunity from the "corporate career" point of view.
I remember discussing this with my girlfriend at the time. Being very pragmatic, she resolved the question: "Most people," she said, "hope their whole life that they'll be able to start a business. You have the opportunity to do it now, to realise something that for most people remains just a dream. You may never get that opportunity again... but the Lehman job will still be there in a year or two if you decide that start-ups are not for you."
Well, she was wrong about the Lehman job. I'm going to have to accept that I will never get a job there now.
- gbookman 17y agoIf you took the Lehman job, by now you'd have to accept the fact that you would probably never get the chance to start a business again. That would drive me nuts because I've always wanted to start my own business and I don't really like working for others. For (most) other people, I'm sure they'd rather have a steady source of income.
- jjs 17y ago> If you took the Lehman job, by now you'd have to accept the fact that you would probably never get the chance to start a business again. No, they probably still would have gone bankrupt, even despite swombat's valiant efforts.
- rgrieselhuber 17y agoI think the real lesson here is that you had a very smart (and rare) girlfriend.
- swombat 17y agoYes. :-/ Well, I don't think that's much of a lesson to people other than me.
- rgrieselhuber 17y agoI don't know about that. I know I've given up on relationships in the past based on superficial reasons only to realize how important certain factors like the one above mattered.
- swombat 17y agoWell, all I can say to that is I wasn't the one who gave up on the relationship.
- aaronblohowiak 17y agoHug http://www.reddit.com/r/relationship_advice/ http://www.reddit.com/r/relationship_advice/
- mediaman 17y agoThat's funny. I worked at that company for a period of time, and left a couple years before the crash to start my own company. It has done well, but at the time I assumed the startup route was much riskier.