April Already?

Spring has arrived soundly on the East Coast!

I’m tip toeing down a set of wet subway stairs and I catch a strong whiff of ammonia; sitting down at a park bench and I hear a few rats scurrying; walking to work and I feel sweat beads start forming. Summer is going to be fun, but gross, but fun.

In other news, I’ve been thinking a lot about career trajectory. Many folks are starting to make their first post-grad job switch, which feels oddly too soon, but it isn’t. There’s a permanent sense of “grass is greener” syndrome: consultants want to go into product; product managers find themselves intellectually bored; startup folks look for their next gig after sensing any inkling of incompetence from their founder. It’s an optimization problem that you can’t work backwards on, because there are just too many variables. Unless you want a very generic path. The butterfly effects of any job move is remarkable. Every day is a binary choice to leave or to stay.

Didn’t mean to get so pensive - I’m getting socialized to NYC and having a great time.

Latest Happenings

• Storytelling Events: Work ended early on a random Monday. Quick Google search revealed there was a free storytelling round table. Pulled up to the attic of a rickety old bar and found a refreshing group of young/old, drunk/sober, ramblers/raconteurs. Starting to see the value in paying rent out here. The Moth is next on my to-hit list!

• Nice Haircut: Took a chance and found a great barber out in Queens. Sure, it takes an hour each way but as someone who’s clueless about hair, it was a huge relief. Interesting to realize that all of us need a professional “crew” - barbers, accountants, lawyers, doctors, etc. to keep us well.

• Central Park @ Night: Went from exploring Queen Elizabeth Park to exploring Central Park - same playbook and ingredients. We walked as deep as we could for two hours and yet there some random ass dude would spawn every 15 minutes or so. Beauty of it was that despite our surroundings, it was only a short walk to a nearby pizza joint and the subway straight home.

• Going out, eating, & more birthday parties: Good times as usual.

Content for Consumption

• More YouTube Friends:

  • Matt Chin: Catch some car videos, JDC drama, and vlogs out here!

• Justin Math’s “Advice on Upskilling”: Long, dense, and practical.

• Inside an M&A Transaction: Credit to Onur Sekerel for this recommendation; super high quality video that breaks down how deals work in the upper echelons of business

• My (probably too) HONEST Experience Leaving Consulting for Tech: Related to this month’s topic, a true account of an ex-consultant. Does anyone else also think Jacky and I look a little similar?

Hou’s Hacks

• For those in the US - there is a really good sign-up bonus (SUB) for the Chase Sapphire Preferred (~$1300) in value. This is close to the best it’s ever been.

• Birthday Freebies: Check out this exhaustive list of all fast-food & retail freebies to claim on your birthday!

Joint Ventures

1. Is anyone really enjoying their day job? I would love to hear more.

So stoked. Thank y’all for catching up with me!