Like most of the freshman this time around, I decided to attend the Bloomberg workshop. Despite having no idea what a Bloomberg terminal was or how it worked, I entered the trading floor with excitement and a willingness to learn. The first thing I noticed was the strange setup of the Bloomberg computers and keyboard. The keyboard had some keys that were color coded and had special labels. Instead of one monitor there were two, with wires snaking together in the back and joining together at the plug. Once I was logged in I opened the Bloomberg application and the screen turned black, with yellow writing covering the monitors and some open tabs where I could type in searches. The instructor then proceeded to begin explaining some of the plentiful functions of the terminal, such as the help icon which was in the form of a question mark at the top right of the screen. He began delving into different searches we could make, such as checking up on a certain year’s revenue for different companies. The example he used was VISA. Then, he began showing us the different i icons on the left side of the screen which could reveal more and more details in regards to the search. I was fascinated and felt so adult and like I was a part of something secret only only a few people are ever able to grasp. Admittedly, I was very confused the entire time as I had no previous experience with trading computers, stocks, or anything in this particular field. However, I was so intrigued by the program that I decided that I wanted to try out taking a class which would teach me the basics and explain to me step by step all the functions of trading computers so one day I could use the Bloomberg terminal with full confidence.
