The interview and the start at JPMChase
As I mentioned, I got a call for an interview within a few days, scheduled for next week. I remember showing up in a blue suit and being taken to a small conference room, where I would have countless meetings over the next six years in Salem.
This was the longest interview I had ever been on. Looking back, there were at least five or six people, and it lasted a good three hours. Honestly, I don’t even remember how I felt or if it was just a test of knowledge or stress. When a company is processing that many transactions and has no real strong competition, it’s a stressful environment. We moved so much money, about 25% of the US GDP, as I understood it, so billions of dollars daily.
Here’s a quick tech lesson on what happens when you use a card. The moment you swipe your card or make a purchase, a transaction is sent from the terminal to Visa, Mastercard, or another brand, then to your bank to check if you have enough money. If you do, it generates an authorization number, sends it back to the terminal for approval, and you get your product. All of this happens in 3 to 5 seconds. If those times increase or something goes wrong, businesses can’t make sales, and we hear about it right away. Every transaction is tracked. It’s a massive business with possible issues everywhere. Yes, it’s stressful, but it’s also exciting, and I loved it.
In less than a week, maybe just a couple of days, I got a call that I got the job, and an offer letter was on the way. This was a huge relief. I was going to get paid again. This was also the start of the best job I ever had, and my start date was in 2008, right in the middle of massive economic turmoil in the country, with bank bailouts and failing financial institutions on a scale not seen since the Great Depression. I was as lucky as you can get, and it all started with a conversation at the gym and not giving up.
Next, I’ll talk about my move to Chase, Florida, and another big life event.
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