New York work culture
It was a pleasure to work in New York City, the financial hub of both global and USA. My office was located near Wall Street, and I was surrounded by experienced seniors from investment banking backgrounds. It was a very different work culture from what I have experienced in Boston or anywhere else in the world, and I would like to share my experience with you.
At first, I was not used to this fast pace city. The pace of people’s footsteps, talking, and information exchanging are much faster than it was in Boston. They believe time is money, and they would like to get most of it from anything in the shortest amount of time. People are busy, so it is important to demonstrate yourself and giving other good impressions in a short range of time.
People in Wall Street area also very attentive of global news and financial conditions. People would ask me my views on Feds cutting rates or my political opinion on the current Hong Kong protest. At first, I was very uncomfortable speaking my political thoughts as it may be controversial. However, since almost every senior would ask me this question, I was able to eventually express myself and communicate with them. I realized once you have your own thoughts and willing to speak, you will learn way more than you think from each conversation.
My NYC experience has pushed me to become a critical thinker. There are many opinions from different people, but all you have to do is to nod and agree, and filter the information and form them into your own special thought based on your knowledge.