Summer Surprise

"We don't celebrate till every last one of us is placed."

Just when I was convinced the competition could not get worse, just when I was convinced the only thing that mattered was a standard format sheet of paper with exaggerated accomplishments, just when I was convinced that the only thing that was of any significance in life was a company telling me I was worthy of being interviewed by looking at that sheet, along comes a statement like this to catch me completely off guard.

It made me smile. It made me proud. More than anything, it just made me plain happy. We are still a team in this institute. We may fight till the finish for our dream job, but we will make sure everyone reaches the finish line. And that, in the end, is somehow more important than the daily shortlists being pinned on the notice board that cause so much anguish, animosity and attitude changes.

There are some things in life investment banking can never buy. For everything else, I suppose there is a Day Z shortlist.