The path to Wall Street isn’t what it used to be.

Case in point: David Keller.

Studying psychology and musical theory at Big 10 powerhouse Ohio State University isn’t exactly top of mind for many who are considering a future in high finance. But in a twist of fate, this checked some important boxes at Bloomberg in New York City, and next thing you know, David was off to NYC to learn about finance with his feet in the fire.

Of course, his love of music didn’t go away. He still managed to score gigs on nights and weekends when the first year Wall Street entry level salary didn’t exactly make Manhattan very affordable for people looking to quickly climb the ladder. In a way, it was an early iteration of a mantra David lives by in his role providing research for clients — always have an exit strategy.

David and I explore some of the parallels between musical score interpretation and chart reading, as well as other salient lessons he learned in psychology to apply to his current work in behavioral finance and technical analysis. This was a delightful conversation with a fellow music enthusiast and markets practitioner that I thoroughly enjoyed and I know you will too.