The Bigs
The Secrets Nobody Tells Students and Young Professionals About How to Find a Great Job, Do a Great Job, Be a Leader, Start a Business, Stay Out of Trouble, and Live A Happy Life
Published on 21. April 2014
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-1-118-91702-2 (ISBN)
Description
What is The Bigs? In baseball, "the bigs" is slang for the big leagues. When you become responsible for yourself, and you are being paid to do a job, you are in the big leagues. The real world is tough, competitive, and much is expected.
This is a quintessentially American story of one man's journey through his career and life. Wall Street veteran Ben Carpenter chronicles the people he met, the experiences he had, the mistakes he made, and what he learned along the way. Readers will encounter a colorful cast of real-life characters which include Big Hank, Hoops, Sweater Girl, The Zombies, Mr. Nuts, The Cheese, Deep Throat, and The RAT. Their tales illuminate Carpenter's progress from newly minted liberal arts graduate, to the owner of an out-of-control bar in Manhattan, to the CEO of a major international investment company.
While the real world can be very fun, it's also very much a battle, and that battle is not easy for anyone. The Bigs is an eye-opening book with specific, comprehensive, and practical advice you won't hear anywhere else. This is a book that parents will want to read and give to their children--and their children will want to read and share with their friends.
More details
Person
Ben Carpenter began his career as a commercial lending officer at Bankers Trust Company. Two years later he joined Bankers Trust's Primary Dealer selling U.S. Treasury bonds. After a brief stop at Morgan Stanley, Ben joined Greenwich Capital, which, during his 22-year career there, became one of the most respected and profitable firms on Wall Street. At Greenwich Capital Ben was a salesman, trader, sales manager, Co-Chief Operating Officer, and Co-CEO.
Currently Ben is the Vice Chairman of CRT Capital Group, a 300-person institutional broker-dealer located in Stamford, CT. He resides in Greenwich, CT with his wife, Leigh, and three daughters.
Check out additional free content including excerpts, videos and blogs at www.thebigswebsite.com.
Content
Preface: Welcome to the Big Leagues xi
How The Bigs Came to Be xii
Introduction: Before The Bigs xv
Junior High School xvi
The New Kid xix
High School xx
Going Away xxii
My Parents xxiv
Benjer xxx
Part ONE HOW TO SURVIVE, THRIVE, AND HAVE FUN IN THE BIG LEAGUES 1
1 Managing a Corporate Career 3
First At Bat 3
First Job Search 5
First Job 8
Something Better Out There 12
Only You Can Look Out for Yourself 16
What I Did Right--What I Did Wrong 17
Ted 19
More Curveballs 25
Learning from a Slump 30
Back on Track 32
Keep Your Eyes on the Prize 33
Out on a Limb 36
Cut Throat and Deep Throat 38
Going To War 42
Looking Back 45
Going Forward 46
Final Thoughts 47
2 Being an Entrepreneur 49
Tumble Inn 50
All Cotton 62
Golfone 66
The Stand 68
Risks and Rewards of Entrepreneurship 70
Final Thoughts 76
3 Being a Leader 77
When to Be a Leader 77
Lead by Example 78
Be a Leader, Not a Manager 78
Don't Be Cynical 80
A Room Full of Fog 82
Everyone Is Important 84
Knowing What to Say When 86
Demand Respect 90
Make the Whole Greater 91
The Guiding Principle 94
Leadership, Friendship, and Adversity 99
The Least Fun Part of the Job 105
Too Much Credit--Too Much Blame 106
4 Staying Out of Trouble 109
RAT Bite 109
Get Some Goddamn Sleep! 112
Front Page News 113
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 118
Breaking the Golden Rule 122
If You're Lucky Enough to Get Rich Once 124
Don't Pick Fights You Can't Win 128
Never Be Like Never 130
5 Living a Happy Life 133
The Secret 133
Creating a Happy Life 136
Money and Happiness 139
Leave Your Baggage at Home 140
A Final Thought on Happiness 141
Part TWO HOW TO CHOOSE, GET, AND DO A GREAT JOB 145
Introduction: Your Big League Career 147
6 How to Choose Your Career 148
Focus on What You Do Well 148
Should You Follow Your Passion 149
Consider Your Lifestyle 150
Job Satisfaction and Compensation 151
Wall Street, Then and Now 152
7 How to Get a Great Job 154
You've Got to be Kidding 154
A Guide to This Chapter 155
Informational and Job Interviews: Scoring Goals 157
How to Get Informational Interviews #1 Developing Your Network 158
How to Get Informational Interviews #2 Using Your Network 159
How to Get Informational Interviews #3 Asking for Help 162
How to Get Job Interviews #1 Asking for the Order 168
How to Get Job Interviews #2 Employment Websites and Social Networking 169
How to Get Job Interviews #3 You Need to Be Creative and Bold 171
How to Get Job Interviews #4 Staying in Touch 175
What to Say During Interviews #1 It's Not About You 178
What to Say During Interviews #2 Informational and Job Interviews Are Different 179
What to Say During Interviews #3 How to Prepare 180
What to Say During Interviews #4 How to Sell Yourself--Punchy Vignettes 182
What to Say During Interviews #5 Talking to Your Resume 186
What to Say During Interviews #6 How to Be General and Specific 188
What to Say During Interviews #7 Understanding the Game Around You 189
What to Say During Interviews #8 What Not to Say 190
What to Say During Interviews #9 Questions to Ask 190
What to Say During Interviews #10 Questions You May Be Asked 192
Be More Aggressive 193
Read Your Interviewer 195
All About Internships 197
How to Use Headhunters 202
To B or Not to B 205
Math, a Good College, and a High GPA 210
Life Ain't Fair 211
Thank You Notes 212
Your Step-by-Step Guide to Getting a Great Job 213
8 How to Do a Great Job 216
Ben's Advice for Avery 217
Lori's Advice for Avery 221
9 How to Manage Your Finances 225
Keep Your Personal Expenses Low 226
Keep it Simple, Stupid 227
Investing and You 228
File This One Away for the Future 232
Helping Family and Friends Financially 233
A Time and a Place for Everything 234
Your Step-by-Step Financial Plan 235
10 One Last Story 237
Letter fromtheAuthor 241
Acknowledgments 243
Index 247