File:Punting down the Cam - geograph.org.uk - 551122.jpg

English: Punting down the Cam Typical Cambridge scene: a group of students punting down the Cam, discussing how much they can earn in investment banking, inspiring. Edit February 2009: Soon after this picture was taken the world of finance and investment banking started to unravel, with huge firms either collapsing (Lehman Brothers) or being effectively nationalised if they were considered to important to the system to fail completely. One thing that was clear from being a Cambridge student was that the type of people who went into finance were very intelligent but not necessarily very inquisitive, the vast majority certainly prioritised short term salary and bonus packages over job satisfaction or a deep interest in the workings of the financial systems. Effectively they were handle turners, though the handle was very complicated. The more inquisitive people went into research or practical activities (academia, government research institutes, GCHQ, commercial research and development, medical research, engineering etc.). It is likely that this split contributed to the group blindness to the cliff several financial institutions and banks propelled themselves towards.