Peerless lands on the trading floor, meets a real hit man

In 1999, I left my job as VP of Grains Trading for a brokerage house in NYC and decided to go to the Exchange trading floor (hereafter known as "The Floor") and learn about commodity options while I was applying to the MBA Program at NYU Stern. I had several contacts with a company that traded Sugar and when they learned I wanted to leave my position at the Grains Desk, offered up the idea they had a position open if I wanted to come and apply for the job.  

So it was with a sense of curiosity that I showed up on the floor of the commodities exchange at 4 WTC in the week before Thanksgiving in 1999.  Thinking I needed to make a good first impression, I wore my custom tailored suit and had several copies of my resume printed on high quality paper at Kinko's.  When I was introduced to the head of the options brokerage, I offered up my resume, which he took and proceeded to crumple into a ball and throw into the trash can.  As he did this, he told me my past experience didn't really mean shit and that as long as I could produce clients who gave orders for him to trade, he would teach me everything about options "because he knew everything there was to know about them and didn't need a fucking computer to tell him he was right when he traded."  

The other partner in the Sugar Operation was the guy I knew previously and encouraged me to apply for the job.  It was obvious he was the "good Cop" of the operation and he proceeded to apologize for his partner's abrupt behavior and explained that if I could be good at introducing new clients to the company, not only would I learn all about options but they would pay me $$$$$ for my efforts.  However, they could only afford to pay me a flat salary that in 1999 would have barely covered dry cleaning on a weekly basis.  The upside however was unlimited. So, it was with that soft sell that I trepidly accepted the job and went to the trading floor.

My first day on the floor resembled when "fresh meat" is brought into the Prison Yard.  I was escorted in by my new boss past a metal detector (apparently trading and firearms dont mix) and into the trading pit.  As I walked through, people who seemed to be extras from either the Sopranos or Mad Max stared at me with a gleam of Hatred in their eyes.  It was almost as if they were saying "welcome to hell and we will send you home crying for your mother within 3 days".  

As I was doing this "perp Walk", a very large man with visible scars on his neck and a head that literally had dents in it stared at me.  This fellow's fingers were about the size of bananas and he literally looked like death warmed over would not stop staring at me.  My new boss told me that is Gianni (not real name) and he did time in a Fed Pen for attempted murder.  I asked what exactly he did and the story I got was that he went to shoot someone but the bullets were deformed so the ammo just bounced off the victim's head instead of going inside his skull. Therefore, Gianni was unlucky and got an 8 year sentence.

I immediately questioned whether it was a good idea to work in a place where you could serve Jail Time and still be allowed to work there after your debt to society was served.

Gianni was the first of many interesting people I met.  By the way, he is a very nice guy when you get to know him.  I never did ask him about why he went to jail nor do I want to.  In fact, one time he saw me walking with my father and came up to us and said "God Bless".

How can I have a problem with such a nice man as he is?