Hello, BATS Exchange

Today I started my new job at BATS Exchange. BATS is the third-largest stock exchange in the US and we also compete against the London Stock Exchange in the UK. They measure stock trades in microseconds; a microsecond is 1/1000 of a millisecond or 1/1,000,000.

I arrived today to find a new office with four monitors (two for my Windows PC and two for my Linux box). Water, pop, coffee, energy drinks are all available for free and lunch is provided every day; today was Lenny's subs. Those were among all the good surprises.

The not so good surprise: I have to study for the Series 7 General Securities Representative Exam and be fingerprinted for FINRA regulations. The study book is a few inches thick, so when I start my studies, I think that I'm going to feel like I'm back in college cramming. But it doesn't diminish my excitement for the new job and all the new things that I am learning and I know that I'll get through it.

posted on Monday, January 04, 2010