Of course, it is also important to understand that Wall Street broker-dealers represent the sell-side, and unless you feel comfortable doing story-telling (i.e., synthesis), rather than analysis, then you might want to think through any decision first.

You might want to go to the buy-side " the portfolio managers -- or the independent research houses, instead.

But I can't stop there. As much as I knock the sell-side, I want you to know that I only knock the conflicts of interest that exist when Wall Street permits the sell-side to work under the same management as the buy-side. That is classic Shakespearean tragedy. It's where bad things happen to good people.

And there are a lot of good people on the sell-side.

If I were younger than 25 and coming out of business school, I'd be headed straight to Wall Street. I'd take a job " any job " and if I had to, I'd take that job three months without pay, just to get my foot in the door.

Wall Street " believe me " is the center of the universe. And there would be no place, trust me, better than working in Manhattan.

Now, I'm not younger than 25, and nobody in Manhattan is going to hire me -- because I have too much experience :- ) -- so I can say this without conflict to new graduates:
· go there asap;
· find a mentor;
· work strictly on a performance basis;
· work not less than 80-hour weeks;
· learn all aspects of analysis from technical, quantitative, fundamental and economic;
· be a leader;
· avoid any discussion of office politics; and
· never ever allow your drive to earn money to cause you to cross the line of ethical practice, whatever the price you have to pay.

In time, the right people will notice you, and if they don't seem to be, then register with every headhunter you can meet.

Yes, Wall Street can be that good, whether its Goldman, Merrill, Lehman, Morgan Stanley, RBC, or any of more than a dozen top firms.

Cramer is right, and, like me, he wishes he was just 25 again.

This weekend I watched a TV commercial with actor James Caan. Maybe you saw it? It was about the need to mentor young people. It made me think that I ought to start a part of this blog for that purpose.