Big Changes

As I hinted at in my most recent post, (God has it really been that long?) there have been some big changes around here. It's been a hell of a time the past few weeks.

July 28th I skipped out of work a little early, hopped the subway to JFK International, and dug in for 22 hours of flight time which deposited me, completely jet-lagged, in beautiful Sydney, Australia. And, yes, in case you were wondering, I did take about 3 dozen pictures of the Opera House beacuse, quite honestly, it really is that spectacular. While 1 week really isn't enough time to spend in a place like Australia, I managed to get in a lot. I'm still trying to put together a whole travel-essay page, replete with photos and all, but until then, I'll just mention a few highlights:

• Seeing an opera at the Opera House was very interesting, and culturally edifying. Australians pronounce Turandot as if it's not a French word, and really stress the "t" in the "dot."
• Dinner at Tetsuya's, possibly the finest restaurant on the continent. Worth every penny, especially with the wine pairings.
• 
  Bondi Beach. Too bad August is winter in Australia. (Winter in Sydney, by the way, means it's 55 degrees and sunny.)
• Hiking through the eucalyptus forests of the Blue Mountains. Totally amazing.

Before I knew it, the week was over, and it was time to return home.

Tuesday, August 8th, at 8:30 AM, I walked into the president's office at work and quit my job. By 9:00 I'd shaken hands with all my coworkers, walked out of the building, headed across town, and installed myself at my new desk, as head trader of a small NY hedge fund.

Yes, that's right. Hedge fund. Head trader.

While it's not exactly as glamorous as it may sound - I'm the only trader there. Hell, I'm the only employee there besides the secretary, I am referred to as the head trader by both my employer and our various sell-side accounts. And, while we're managing a pretty insignificant amount of money, it is a buy-side gig.

I have to admit I'm a little wary of this move. It's a big change, and a lot of work. Further, I'm potentially walking away from a lot of money, given the speculation of my former coworkers regarding what my bonus should have been had I stayed out the year at the old shop. But, like I said to my old boss when I left, this job is about opportunity, not money. And while mid-six-figures is always nice, even in NYC, I don't need to tell you what real hedge funds pay, and that's where I hope to be in a year or two. I'd been spending the past year or so trying to figure out how to get over to the buy-side, and now my opportunity has been handed to me. Granted, it comes with a cantankerous old man who's chewed through 2 traders, a PM, 2 accountants, and at least 3 secretaries in the past year or so, but nobody said this was easy. If I wanted easy, I'd have stayed at the sell-side shop, surfed the web all day, collected my $200k, and probably made VP at the end of this year.

What the hell have I done???