It was one of the last sunny days in Portland in early autumn on a Friday morning. There was a faint smell of wood smoke on the crisp morning air and the maple leaves were only just considering a change in color. I was dressed down in jeans and a sweater, despite working for an investment firm just south of the downtown business district, where the dress code is decidedly business … without the casual. The financial industry has apparently not been affected by the west coast vibe that has given everyone else in the business world on the “left” coast permission to wear flip-flops and hoodies on Fridays, and jeans and sweaters every other day of the week. I opted to dress down this particular day and suffer the scrutiny of my coworkers for this special occasion (my boss had taken the day off). I was taking a few hours out of my day to begin a different sort of work.
You see, I’d spent the last several years in the field of finance, most of it in sales. Fortunately, I had migrated into research and analysis at that point, which was a very good thing because I am a terrible salesperson. I absolutely cannot give people the financial information that I think is so vital to survival and success and ask for money in return. Some folks can, which is I suppose what makes the industry (and the entire economic system) sustainable and what allowed me to earn the salary that I did as an analyst. In fact many people, myself included, have paid for that knowledge, but in the final moment, when I see the impact that such an education has on the lives of the people I have worked with, I simply cannot bring myself to ask for the cash. I know, I know … they came to me for the advice, they knew they’d have to pay for it, that was the deal … but somehow, asking for payment always seemed to ruin the moment for me.
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