1. Please tell us about your career
After A levels, I took a gap year September 2006 – September 2007 before joining Imperial College to study Computing. I decided it wasn’t for me but managed to get a job working for 6 months at Goldman Sachs as a consultant in the Finance team of their Investment Banking Division. I then returned to university, this time to Warwick University to study Economics for 3 years, during which I spent summers and Christmas holidays working in temporary roles in the City. Upon graduating in July 2011, I had a place on Bloomberg’s graduate programme and spent 3.5 years there before joining a tech startup called Next Jump in March 2015. I worked therefore 15 months before joining a charity on a 12-month contract in September 2016. I then moved back into the City to join Ullink/Itiviti in January 2018 and have been there since.
2. What impact has The Brokerage had on your career?
The Brokerage gave me a stepping stone into the City and helped me learn what the City has to offer. By learning about the financial markets, the departments inside an Investment Bank and the roles available, I was able to make a more informed decision when leaving university and deciding where to start my career.
3. What advice can you give to young people currently registered with The Brokerage?
Jump at every opportunity you can get, as you’ve now got the opportunity to try lots of new things and not worry about how it looks on your CV. As you get older and more experienced, employers want stability and for you to show on your CV that you’ve stuck it out at a place for a few years. However when you’re in your late teens and twenties, you have the chance to explore different roles and work out what you’re good at, what excites you and where you can see yourself growing personally and professionally.