Jesse Itzler Quotes

If they don't go to law school, bright college graduates head to Wall Street precisely because they have no real plan for their careers.

Let's be honest: the trappings of investment banking are quite tempting. I do miss it sometimes. And to be honest, there was a time I'd read the 'WSJ' in the morning, and for years I have done that.

I was an economics major in college, and every summer after school, I would drive my car from California, from Claremont men's college at the time, to New York. And I worked on Wall Street.

I wish I knew what was next. I got this movie without planning to. I'm really excited to be continuing in film because it's a great job but I have my portfolio and resume for any other opportunity.

I left Goldman Sachs. I was thinking about going to another Wall Street place. I didn't want to do that. That was crazy. After you work on Wall Street, it's a choice: would you rather work at McDonald's or on the sell side? I would choose McDonald's over the sell side.

I want to make it clear, I'm not whining, and the Celtics owe me nothing. But having said that, you would think at least I would have a conversation about a coaching job, since that's what I want to do.

I didn't always have research jobs.

I actually had a number of different careers. I worked on Wall Street; I was a Master's in Business. I left that to work in the public sector.

Wall Street, like every industry, has good and bad players.

My only advice is to try to get the job that's most like the job you want, rather than the one that's more prestigious. Always try to be the talent.

Well, I'd probably go for any work I could get.

I got an offer at 'Vogue.' And I desperately wanted to work in magazines. My interest wasn't in fashion, but when you get an offer right out of college for a magazine that big - I decided that it was probably better to start at a big name magazine, even if I wasn't necessarily fascinated with the subject.

In '48 when I left Metro, I tried to go back to radio, but somehow just didn't do well at it.

When I got tired of going to school, I was kind of overqualified for a lot of jobs. Kind of underqualified for a lot of others.

Your post-college years should be an exploratory time in your professional life. From your early twenties and on into your early thirties, you should feel free to explore your professional prospects. Keep an open mind, and don't expect to get everything right straight out of the gate. Be prepared to start over once or twice.

It's hard in this business to get the opportunities to show off range.

I don't necessarily think that when I graduated college, I had a plan to work at an ad agency. I had a plan in terms of getting the best job I could, like, just whatever normal job.

My career, it's been a mess.

What I immediately recognized about Wall Street in 1983 was that it was a continuation of my career in theater. Wall Street is a big theater, and it's all illusions.

It is such a tricky transition between education and work.

I had come from a middle-class family in Port Washington, Long Island, and I was really clueless about Wall Street. My first job there I basically got fired from.

If that is your route, to go to university and get a job that way, that is fantastic.

Being out of work is very depressing. But luckily I haven't been there for a long time.

I always said the whole time all I was waiting for was an opportunity and a chance to get my foot in the door.

I guess I've never really wanted to be anything else. I've never even thought about having another job.