So 2020 hasn't been the best of years for really anyone out there so far. World War 3, Kobe Bryant dying, Australia was on fire, and COVID-19... it's been a shit show for basically the whole world. Right now, nothing is open and we're not allowed to gather in crowds because this virus has basically taken over the world.
In addition to those I had my own personal defeats. I got laid off from my job in early February. I was told a little while in advance but I didn't realize it would be happening so soon. But life goes on and I tried to make the best of it. I bought a one-way ticket to Italy with the intention of traveling all over Europe. I had enough money saved up to tour for about a year and then I'd be forced to come home. I was super freaking excited.
But a few days before I was set to take off, news broke that Italy was hit really hard by the virus, and I knew that it meant I couldn't go on my trip. Given how rapidly the virus was spreading, even if I went to Europe and didn't get sick, I thought that it would be difficult to get back into the country. So I canceled. In retrospect, that was a solid decision as the virus basically put all of Europe on lock down. It would have been the worst time to go honestly.
Then I made the decision that I didn't want to live in SF anymore. I really didn't like the city all that much and everything was so expensive that I'd probably blow through my savings quickly anyways. So in the midst of all this, I made the decision to go stay at my parents place for a bit. I got someone to take over my lease and I threw my belongings in storage until I could figure out my next career move.
By the time I got laid off though, I had already been searching for jobs because I could see the team was going in a different direction than my skillset could contribute to. They were building clinical trial simulations, and I have no knowledge of how to do that. I knew my time was probably limited. So I started the search. I sent hundreds of emails and applied to even non-finance jobs to keep my options open. At the end of the day, I didn't enjoy biotech equity research as much as I thought I would and I simply just don't have the education for it. I wanted to follow broader market themes and be immersed in global economics and trade.
I connected early on, right before Thanksgiving, with a hedge fund out of Denver. I loved Denver as a city and the firm, which had been around for a while, and was looking for a generalist, and moreover, they didn't invest in biotech. I knew I wanted that job from the get go - it fit my criteria perfectly. It was my top choice. I figured my chances were slim because they were initially looking for someone local to Denver that they could just hire and plug in. But I kept communication up anyway. I sent them stock ideas over the next several months as I interviewed.
Long story short - I ended up receiving and accepting the offer in late March - exactly 5 months and 1 day after my initial contact with the fund. It was a long interview process and they did tons of reference checks but in the end, it worked out and I am actually writing this as I sit here from my new apartment in Denver. I just looked at the date - April 4th. Exactly two months ago, on Feb 4th, I was told it was my last day at my last job, and a few weeks later I felt defeated that I couldn't go to Europe and was leaving SF to stay with my parents. Also, I got hella sick for the almost the entire month of March. Literally started the night before I left SF with a fever. Thankfully, it was not the 'rona but I was in bad shape. I'm actually still recovering and have a mild cough.
In the end, even though things seemed bleak, I'm so glad with how things turned out:
1) I genuinely needed a break. The burnout was real and I was feeling it on the tail end of my time at the last job. The last two months have been a really nice time of just not worrying about work and taking it easy.
2) I didn't like SF - and I'm glad I got out when I did. I can't imagine trying to find someone to take over my lease at this time when everything is shut down.
3) I got to spend a lot of time with the family. I really enjoyed that. Over the last 7 years, I haven't spent more than a week with them at time. This time I spent an entire month and my birthday with them. It was really nice.
4) I'm going to be working at a hedge fund covering the whole universe of stocks. The motherfucking DREAM. This is THE job. Looking back, my team going in a different direction was the catalyst I needed to really find this opportunity I've been working towards since I started in finance. I am so excited I can't contain it.
5) I ended up moving to the city that I fell in love with almost 3 years ago when I saw snow capped mountains for the first time. I mean I had seen them from planes, but it's different seeing them tower over you from the ground. Although things are slow with the shelter in place, I can't wait for things to open back up so that I'm able to get out there and meet people and go hiking.
In addition to those I had my own personal defeats. I got laid off from my job in early February. I was told a little while in advance but I didn't realize it would be happening so soon. But life goes on and I tried to make the best of it. I bought a one-way ticket to Italy with the intention of traveling all over Europe. I had enough money saved up to tour for about a year and then I'd be forced to come home. I was super freaking excited.
But a few days before I was set to take off, news broke that Italy was hit really hard by the virus, and I knew that it meant I couldn't go on my trip. Given how rapidly the virus was spreading, even if I went to Europe and didn't get sick, I thought that it would be difficult to get back into the country. So I canceled. In retrospect, that was a solid decision as the virus basically put all of Europe on lock down. It would have been the worst time to go honestly.
Then I made the decision that I didn't want to live in SF anymore. I really didn't like the city all that much and everything was so expensive that I'd probably blow through my savings quickly anyways. So in the midst of all this, I made the decision to go stay at my parents place for a bit. I got someone to take over my lease and I threw my belongings in storage until I could figure out my next career move.
By the time I got laid off though, I had already been searching for jobs because I could see the team was going in a different direction than my skillset could contribute to. They were building clinical trial simulations, and I have no knowledge of how to do that. I knew my time was probably limited. So I started the search. I sent hundreds of emails and applied to even non-finance jobs to keep my options open. At the end of the day, I didn't enjoy biotech equity research as much as I thought I would and I simply just don't have the education for it. I wanted to follow broader market themes and be immersed in global economics and trade.
I connected early on, right before Thanksgiving, with a hedge fund out of Denver. I loved Denver as a city and the firm, which had been around for a while, and was looking for a generalist, and moreover, they didn't invest in biotech. I knew I wanted that job from the get go - it fit my criteria perfectly. It was my top choice. I figured my chances were slim because they were initially looking for someone local to Denver that they could just hire and plug in. But I kept communication up anyway. I sent them stock ideas over the next several months as I interviewed.
Long story short - I ended up receiving and accepting the offer in late March - exactly 5 months and 1 day after my initial contact with the fund. It was a long interview process and they did tons of reference checks but in the end, it worked out and I am actually writing this as I sit here from my new apartment in Denver. I just looked at the date - April 4th. Exactly two months ago, on Feb 4th, I was told it was my last day at my last job, and a few weeks later I felt defeated that I couldn't go to Europe and was leaving SF to stay with my parents. Also, I got hella sick for the almost the entire month of March. Literally started the night before I left SF with a fever. Thankfully, it was not the 'rona but I was in bad shape. I'm actually still recovering and have a mild cough.
In the end, even though things seemed bleak, I'm so glad with how things turned out:
1) I genuinely needed a break. The burnout was real and I was feeling it on the tail end of my time at the last job. The last two months have been a really nice time of just not worrying about work and taking it easy.
2) I didn't like SF - and I'm glad I got out when I did. I can't imagine trying to find someone to take over my lease at this time when everything is shut down.
3) I got to spend a lot of time with the family. I really enjoyed that. Over the last 7 years, I haven't spent more than a week with them at time. This time I spent an entire month and my birthday with them. It was really nice.
4) I'm going to be working at a hedge fund covering the whole universe of stocks. The motherfucking DREAM. This is THE job. Looking back, my team going in a different direction was the catalyst I needed to really find this opportunity I've been working towards since I started in finance. I am so excited I can't contain it.
5) I ended up moving to the city that I fell in love with almost 3 years ago when I saw snow capped mountains for the first time. I mean I had seen them from planes, but it's different seeing them tower over you from the ground. Although things are slow with the shelter in place, I can't wait for things to open back up so that I'm able to get out there and meet people and go hiking.
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