Darren Caris

It was shortly after completing an economics degree at the University of California, San Diego that Darren Caris made the career decision that would change the course of his life -- but not necessarily his lifestyle.
At the time, the 22-year old erstwhile member of the UCSD surf team, decided to abandon a career as a professional surfer, the job he had enjoyed since the age of 18, to join a different kind of elite subculture: the Wall Street investment banking community.