I was desperate for a job, I carried a sign begging for one on Wall Street: Here's how it went

[SunSeeker]

After sending out more than 1,000 job applications without so much as a nibble, Florida college grad Sam Rabinowitz took matters into his own hands — and cruised Wall Street carrying a placard begging for a chance. 

“Tried LinkedIn. Tried Email. Now Trying Wall Street. Looking for a Finance/Trading Internship or Entry-Level Position. Dedicated. Hungry. Ready to Work,” the 25-year-old’s sign read as he recently marched in front of the New York Stock Exchange at lunchtime.

Since graduating from Florida Atlantic University in May 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in finance, Rabinowitz has been applying for positions across the country, without luck. 

A partner at an IPO company noticed his sign, waved him over and struck up conversation.  “He mentioned that somebody once gave him a chance, and he saw a great story in me,” Rabinowitz recalled.  “I met his partner and we had a great conversation, a great interview, and I felt so good about it. In my head I was like, ‘I got the job!’ but I haven’t heard back from them,” said Rabinowitz, who declined to provide the name of the company so as to not “jeopardize the opportunity.”

https://nypost.com/2025/09/13/lifestyle/im-so-desperate-for-a-job-i-begged-for-one-on-wall-street-heres-how-it-went/





Well, looks like the stunt didn't land him a job. I have a 21 year old about to graduate college and looking for a finance job, so this story caught my eye. Like this guy, not a nibble after hundreds of applications. It is brutal out there. Recent grads are especially fucked in Trump’s America.

[FBaggins]

1. so as to not "jeopardize the opportunity."?

How about “so as not to bad mouth the only guy willing to give you the time of day”?

[SunSeeker]

2. Well that, and not wanting to scare anyone else from ever talking to him again.

I don't know what kind of grades Rabinowitz had, or if he had any internships while in college (sounds like he hasn't), but considering he went to a lower tier Florida college, he doesn't stand a chance at a job with a Wall Street firm. Those places only pick the cream of the crop from top universities...and even then, you gotta know somebody at the firm and/or had an internship there.

[bucolic_frolic]

3. Are all the numbers whirred by AI now?

Deregulation and AI will hollow out every corporation. Algo's run the markets, most managed funds can't beat them.

Data analytics? Finance might have a product manager future.

They tell you to get skills. The skills are automated. They tell you to get no skills and adapt. Insight is thread-the-needle.

Whatever you do, get a cash flow and buy big tech. At the age of 25, four decades of growth ahead.

[Dr. T]

4. I know way too many college grads who ended up

settling for jobs and careers in fields that had nothing to do with the college degree they earned.

I've come to believe that a lot of kids coming out of high school follow their dreams instead of following the job market. Great plan if it works out but the odds are stacked against it.