Well as most of you know I hate my job. I was hired for one thing and doing another. Basically it was like graduating college, being promised graduate school and sent back to elementary.

So tomorrow I will be meeting with the powers that be to tell em my side and see if there will be improvement in the horizon. I do not know how this will go. The biz has been slow. Some of that can be attributed due to market conditions, some cause of the season(market tends to slow in the summer months) They might just lay me off or fire me after the meeting. The other side of the coin is that if I feel afterwards that there is no hope, I am prepared to resign. I can't stand the working condition, and I feel like punching everyone in the face every minute I am there.

Unfortunately, Dallas isn't exactly the financial services mecca. Firms are not based here for me to slide into a proprietary type trading of bond or equities for that fact. So I have a couple of options. I just turned in my resume this morn to Merrill Lynch and a number of other firms around DFW in the hopes of going back into retail investment sales. However that might not manifest itself in the next few weeks. If I quit tomorrow I need to move into something quick as I am tapped out.

So I was thinking about car sales. Seem interesting enough, people walk in you sell em something. Beats cold calling. The other options is to go clean pools. 6hr work days, sometimes less, not bad. Haven't done since school but it should still be the same. Seen a few ads that are looking for IMMEDIATE help. I figure with minimal income coming in plus whats left of my savings. I can survive a few months. That should be enough time to find other oppurtunities.

So car sales or pool cleaning?

Hate to say it but if this doesn't work out, its back to Kali I go. Gun laws, cost of living and power crunch sucks, but at least I can get a job I love. Save up funds and move out again in a few years. This time I will research the company thoroughly, rather than just jumping without looking like I did here.

lordtrader, car sales can definitely bring in some good $$ , did it myself for awhile but moved to the other end of car dearlerships, service. The money is still decent we're on commission like sales, I'll do between $55 & $65 this year. But both ends, sales and service are long hours...by the way I'm just down the street from you in Desoto...Good Luck with your decision.
russell

Striker: Yeah I guess I jump from one boiling pot to the other.

Jackpot: thanx for the insight. A lot of dealerships here in Plano seem to be hiring. So I guess biz is good. You know low interest rates and all.

hey lordtrader,
for what its worth, i'm in the EXACT same boat. my job as a trader SUCKS. i often think about what it would be like to get back into construction, etc. if i'll be happier making less money at a job i like/love. but from where i sit, i see the economy going nowhere fast, and i have been advising my friends not to quit their "****ty" jobs just yet. layoffs are still occuring at an alarming rate, macro economics aside, there's gonna be a lot more people in the job market soon. i say IMHO that you should consider the sales position, if anything, its now, its stable for now and there's still alot of $$$ in TX !!! and keep on the guys at Merrill Lynch in the mean time!!

hang in there, hope this helps a little!

Didn't you like dealing with institutions because you didn't have to deal with retail investors?  Well car sales is all retail, my friend.  Although, people put way more effort into researching auto purchases than their investments so misunderstandings and stuff won't be so much a problem I think.

I think you should go back to California.

OR!!!! Oh fuck I just had a brilliant idea!!!!  It's right up your alley.  You know what Texas is a mecca of?  ENERGY TRADING!!!  Check out [url]www.enrononline.com[/url] to see what Enron does.  You can give the politicians of Kali the shaft AND make a lot of money.  

Their job page: [url]http://www.enron.com/corp/workatenron/[/url]

Raven you may have something there. Doing a search right now and filing out an application at Enron. Cool thanx.

I do hate retail but hey its something to tie me over. I'm going to exhaust all optioons before I go back to Kali.

you could be a solider for hire.........

Sir, dealerships EVERYWHERE are always looking for salespeople. I sold cars in my early twenty's, and unless something has dramatically changed it is not a terribly rewarding way to make a buck. Turnover is quite high.


Allen

Hmmmm, I'm thinking maybe man whoring will work. Be a he-bitch like Deuce Bigalow [:D]

Hey LT! You could always work for me! HAHAHAH! Sorry, you left yourself wide open on that one. I hate to kick a man when he's down...but its so much fun! Really though, sorry to hear about your situation. I know where youre coming from. I said the same thing when I moved back south to go work at JPL. I thought I was gonna be some hoity-toity rocket scientist....far from it. I was a monkey in a room full of typewriters and a bunch of other monkeys...you know the rest of the story. Fortunately for me, I found another job shortly after I saw the light, and before the job market in my industry went poo poo.

I dont claim to know squat about the job market in the finance industry, but there has to be some other job for you out there. Stick with it and you'll find your job....

Dude, all I can say is email me.

Don't come back!  You don't need gentle sloping terrain in the finance district of downtown L.A...You don't need to meet the gorgeous women (blond, brunet, white, latina, asian) walking to and fro' on 5th st between Grand and Figueroa.

Then there is the hassle of finding a decent place to eat in any of those fine O.C. beach cities, or in West-LA, or even in a place like that one on Alameda (Fellipe's) that serves those french dip sandwiches. You know, the one just north of Olvera St in d/t LA.

You certainly don't need the hassle of finding a place to shoot like, "A Place to Shoot" or "Angeles" or "LA Gun Club" or "San Gabriel Gun Club" or "Burro Canyon" or.... well, you just don't need the hassle. :)

lordtrader a car salesman?  Oh boy.  God help us!

I was thinking a little bitch boy for some older women, but you're too old for that.

Sell used cars, it's a sleazier job.

From experience(my buddy was in used car sales)

If you are honest, you won't make it.
There are MANY laws that protect YOU and some that protect the buyers...

People like Cheap plow trucks in the winter and somewhat cheap sporty cars in the summer(DUH) unless you have NO winter.

BISHOP

I'll have to go talk
to the boss and see what he says.

My friend sells cars for Saturn, and she says they don't pull the shit other car dealers do, trying to rip off customers as much as possible.  She says the customers are really wary and mistrustful and often leave to shop around but always come back to Saturn after the way other dealers treat them.

How about move to Chicago Area?
We still can own AR15's here. Lots of traders here.  
Just live outside of the city, and you are fine.  
c-rock
www.illinois-shooter.org

I'm thinking about giving up every shred of personal integrity and dignity that I have...and becoming a car salesman. Will someone please kill me?

go clean the pools-then you can slip the baloney to the daughters and wives while hubby off at work!!!!

I would recommend staying with your job or at least finding something in that field where you are now (unless you really hate the DFW area).

GunLvr

Ok guys my Wife sells cars for Oldsmobile. She does OK in money. She will make about $40,000 this year and this on top of saving me about another $6000 by me not having to buy her a car she gets a new demo after 6000 miles she gets a new one. This is great for me sense I dont have to worry about her breaking down or anything. But like said before there is NO garintie in car sales one month she will make $5000 and the next only make $1000. Not a dependable income but as a second income it is great.
SCAR

What is she going to do when Olds bites the dust???

Lordtrader,

What firm did you work for?  Sometimes it can be frustrating, but the rewards are also great IMO.  What part of the business did you not like?  

When OLDsmobile goes under. She will get 3 years severanse pay which is a good chunk of change and as said before car dealers are always hireing. But I dont think GM will let it close down. Oldsmobile is the oldest car company in the world. GM is not going to let that heritage die, Besides Buick looses money evey year while OLDs makes money, but Buick has the loyolty of the older folks, And Cadalac is a sinkhole for GM it has not made money sense the mid 80s. But this is just my thoughts.
SCAR

My little brother was a car salesman for a while. He said that you wont be able to do it if you have a conscience. That's why he got out. The money was OK. 50-60K.
Same bro was also in Morgan Stanley Dean Whitter. Money started out shitty, but you can make 100 K within the first 1.5 year no problem. A girl he was working with made 200K ++ and she was only there 2.5 years. Work from home etc.etc. He quit!! Couldnt stand the namby pamby p.c. bullshit.
Eric

LT, you seem like a personable guy. You might want to try out waiting at some of the high class restaraunts in Dallas. Ive had several friends that did either that or bartend at some of the better clubs down there and they made quite a bit of money for work like that. In the $40-50k range. Not bad for taking food to people or making drinks at a bar and bullsh*tting all night. You should look into it, at some of the nicer places you can make a commission for selling high priced bottles of wine or champagne. Im sure it would beat selling cars, plus you get to meet some hot chicks. Either way, good luck in your job search.

Michael