Public Announcement for New Interns

Attention, intern, badge still new,

Wall Street hums, and it watches you.

This floor has tribes with polished grins,

They rise like waves, then fall like sins.

Join not too tight a cliquish ring,

For favor fades—a fickle thing.

The stairs look bright, the climb feels fast,

But trends reverse; they never last.

When factions fall from whispered grace,

An elevator drops apace.

Stay sharp, stay honest when asked to speak,

A bluff may work, but it brands the weak.

Once caught pretending what you don’t know,

The label sticks; recovery’s slow.

So learn, ask questions, write things down,

Real skill outshines a borrowed crown.

Keep end-game goals within your sight,

But live today, and do today right.

Ignore the now for some distant win,

And futures fade before they begin.

Minimize your enemies; count the cost—

Each slighted peer becomes a post.

From which a spear may someday fly,

Careers have long memories.

Be known as steady, hungry, fair,

Reliable under pressure’s glare.

Yet guard your time; don’t let them see

A doormat masked as loyalty.

Guard your demeanor, and your tone—

Reputations grow like stone.

Wall Street rewards the calm and true.

Ultimately, the outcome will depend on you.