Composing a successful, interesting life

Seeing the handwriting on the wall led Woodmere native Brad Berkowitz to shift career gears from Wall Street to tapping a keyboard with a stop in between for business and marketing.

"A lots happened in the last couple of years," said Berkowitz, 46, a Manhattan resident, who noted the downturn in the economy, "it's tough to make money in a down market," and left a hedge fund business in early September 2008.

After 22 years in the financial field, Berkowitz went into sports business ad marketing, which also jump started his writing as he completed three books by the middle of 2009 that at one time were 80 percent completed.

“The 21st Century Guide To Bachelorhood” is Berkowitz's observations of the dating scene from a man's point of view was self-published and released last year. It is available on Amazon.com.

However, shortly after the book came out, Berkowitz married in January and for a brief time thought the very guy-like perspective may upset his wife Jennifer, 37.

"I was watching a ball game and I hear my wife laughing hysterically, thought she was watching a movie and she is reading the book," said Berkowitz, who added Jennifer said, "she could relate to all these things," and noted her husband's powers of observations.

The advice grew out of reflections from his social circle such as telling guys that instead of going out in a group of four, go out as three and leave a seat open to invite a woman over, or telling a woman who likes sports to go to a sports bar during a non-New York team playoff game.

"It's about maximizing your exposure, like finding a job," said Berkowitz, who noted the late comedian Sam Kinison's joke about going where the food is. Single men and women have to go where single men and women are.

As part of his work in sports, Berkowitz met former middleweight boxer Iran Barkley and though they come from totally different backgrounds; Berkowitz the cabana boy earning summer cash, Barkley a gangbanger from the Bronx, they hit it off.