本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛My career advancement
来源: MERCER
Everyone has a dream. After I was accepted by a master of accounting program at one of top ten business school but before came to the U.S., I dreamed I would easily get a decent job in one of the top tier investment bank and certainly make 100K by 30.
I graduated in 2001 and the economic bubble started to burst. I could not find a job, though I interviewed by 20-30 companies and sent out hundred of resumes. I was so desperate for a job when watching checking account was shrinking. At that time I was not caring about career, dream and ambitions any longer, and just try to find a job that could pay rent and feed me. Before my hope burst as the bubble did, I landed on a bank in Midwest which paid $38K for an entry level analyst in its back office in derivative trading. I accepted the offer without negotiation, because I need the money to pay my next month’s rent. For the new job, I had to borrow 500 bucks from my friend to buy a pair of new shoe, new shirts and pants, because I even did not have a credit card at that time.
Though the position was for an entry level and I was apparently overqualified in this group. I know I would not stay at this spot for a long time. But before I moved on, I needed to approve my credentials. I worked hard and my skill sets made me outstanding among peers. I was able to catch errors in complex contract that was not found by front and mid office. My performance caught the attention of my manager and the big boss as well. I also tried to get close to my manager, having lunch together in cafe and asked questions to attract his attention. My manager became my friend and he thought I should move on to mid office. With his recommendation, I moved up to mid office in Boston after 6 months and my salary was raised to $55K.
I stayed in the mid office for 1.5 years and watched a lot of personnel turnover. The manager who liked me in mid office quit because of politics and I was not able to get on well with some guys in my team. Of most importance, my green card sponsorship sucked. When I requested this, the big boss said no problem, but actually he asked the HR to hold on until 2006, 2 years before my H1B expire. I started to look around in 2004 when I almost approach 30. The dream of $100K was still there and I believe I could make more and land on a better place.
My friend referred me to his company, a big four consulting firm in NYC. My accounting background and Mid Office experience gave me an edge in the interview and easily I got the offer. But it was a $60K based offer. I told the partner I already made more than that, and my expectation was $85K due to the locational difference and frequent travel. In 2 weeks, they made an $85K offer to me and I quit immediately.
In this consulting company, I learned a lot and especially developed my interpersonal and communication skill which is critical to my career. Actually in business, degree and license do not play a role as important as before. When most of Chinese guys still enjoy collecting licenses and degree, I saw a lot of senior managers, partner and directors doing a good job with only a bachelor degree. They learned from work and accumulated knowledge from peers and projects. They knew how to build up a network to help their career development. Books always lag behind practices in business. The consulting firm I worked for treated me well and agreed to sponsor my green card one year later by waiving the 2 year policy.
I had been working for various clients including investment banks, watching some people making 100K, 200K, not because they were smarter than me just because they got into this industry earlier. I then posted my resume on the web and in 2 days, a headhunter lined me up with an investment bank. After a few rounds of interview, I was obtained the offer and joined the firm in NYC. I was 31 when I realized my $100K dream. Everything comes at its cost. I have to sacrifice my green card application. But compared to my career advancement, the delay of green card to me is completely acceptable.
Thanks for your attentions.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
来源: MERCER
Everyone has a dream. After I was accepted by a master of accounting program at one of top ten business school but before came to the U.S., I dreamed I would easily get a decent job in one of the top tier investment bank and certainly make 100K by 30.
I graduated in 2001 and the economic bubble started to burst. I could not find a job, though I interviewed by 20-30 companies and sent out hundred of resumes. I was so desperate for a job when watching checking account was shrinking. At that time I was not caring about career, dream and ambitions any longer, and just try to find a job that could pay rent and feed me. Before my hope burst as the bubble did, I landed on a bank in Midwest which paid $38K for an entry level analyst in its back office in derivative trading. I accepted the offer without negotiation, because I need the money to pay my next month’s rent. For the new job, I had to borrow 500 bucks from my friend to buy a pair of new shoe, new shirts and pants, because I even did not have a credit card at that time.
Though the position was for an entry level and I was apparently overqualified in this group. I know I would not stay at this spot for a long time. But before I moved on, I needed to approve my credentials. I worked hard and my skill sets made me outstanding among peers. I was able to catch errors in complex contract that was not found by front and mid office. My performance caught the attention of my manager and the big boss as well. I also tried to get close to my manager, having lunch together in cafe and asked questions to attract his attention. My manager became my friend and he thought I should move on to mid office. With his recommendation, I moved up to mid office in Boston after 6 months and my salary was raised to $55K.
I stayed in the mid office for 1.5 years and watched a lot of personnel turnover. The manager who liked me in mid office quit because of politics and I was not able to get on well with some guys in my team. Of most importance, my green card sponsorship sucked. When I requested this, the big boss said no problem, but actually he asked the HR to hold on until 2006, 2 years before my H1B expire. I started to look around in 2004 when I almost approach 30. The dream of $100K was still there and I believe I could make more and land on a better place.
My friend referred me to his company, a big four consulting firm in NYC. My accounting background and Mid Office experience gave me an edge in the interview and easily I got the offer. But it was a $60K based offer. I told the partner I already made more than that, and my expectation was $85K due to the locational difference and frequent travel. In 2 weeks, they made an $85K offer to me and I quit immediately.
In this consulting company, I learned a lot and especially developed my interpersonal and communication skill which is critical to my career. Actually in business, degree and license do not play a role as important as before. When most of Chinese guys still enjoy collecting licenses and degree, I saw a lot of senior managers, partner and directors doing a good job with only a bachelor degree. They learned from work and accumulated knowledge from peers and projects. They knew how to build up a network to help their career development. Books always lag behind practices in business. The consulting firm I worked for treated me well and agreed to sponsor my green card one year later by waiving the 2 year policy.
I had been working for various clients including investment banks, watching some people making 100K, 200K, not because they were smarter than me just because they got into this industry earlier. I then posted my resume on the web and in 2 days, a headhunter lined me up with an investment bank. After a few rounds of interview, I was obtained the offer and joined the firm in NYC. I was 31 when I realized my $100K dream. Everything comes at its cost. I have to sacrifice my green card application. But compared to my career advancement, the delay of green card to me is completely acceptable.
Thanks for your attentions.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net