B.E. Electronics and Instrumentation
M.Sc. Economics
CGPA: 8
EXPERIENCE
Jun 2018 – Present
Nomura
Analyst
I am in the risk management department in Nomura, managing the risk on leveraged trades of the bank. Capital market data is analyzed in terms of trades of banks and coming up with solutions to manage the risks on these trades. Projects involve getting the operational efficiencies in the team with and long term projects with a strong focus on Data Analysis using the power of coding. Different tools and models are designed for the team.
Jul 2017 – Jun 2018
Nomura
Intern
Developed a tool to calculate Independent amount on Equity Swaps products for hedge fund clients saving 2 man hours weekly.
Jun 2016- Jul 2016
ABB
Summer Intern
It was a short internship and I was exposed to what ABB does which was automating different industries.
QnA
I support Asian markets which open at 6:30 am and I keep an eye on those markets, then different trades and rates are analyzed and risk is calculated. My role is thus time sensitive, building new models and tools and thus interaction with the stakeholders in Singapore, Hongkong, etc. There are some long term projects also upon which I work simultaneously like model building and stuff.
I am in the risk management department at Nomura which deals with managing the risk of the bank. Capital market data is analyzed in terms of trades of banks and coming up with solutions to manage the risks of these trades. Projects involve getting the operational efficiencies in the team, some amount of coding is required in the work and a lot of data has to be analyzed. Different tools and models are designed for the team to do these jobs.
Yes, it is very different from the theory we learn. We are generally taught about the basics of banking which gives us a little idea about the actual work but it is really very different from all that.
I was initially interested in economics and electronics being an EnI student and wasn’t much interested in finance but later gained interest due to courses, internships, and talking to seniors. BITS offers a variety of economics courses which give you a fair idea about the finance sector. I figured out my interests through elimination after trying out different options.
Yes, I explored the electronics sector by doing some internships but I gradually started liking the finance sector and thus, went towards it.
There is no right time to start preparing and I'd start as soon as possible. Maintain a high CGPA and have a lot of internships.
There are majorly 3 routes to enter the Finance sector - firstly through the PS division, secondly through campus placements and the third is that if you want to take it a different route, you could go into a startup via off-campus. In my opinion, the PS division had the best offers to enter into this sector while I was studying as it offered internships at most of the banks which gives a lot of exposure to the students.
Finance is of 2 types. One, sell side jobs which involves the banks. Two, buy side jobs which are venture capitalist, hedge fund and the equity sector.
For an engineer, going into venture capitalist and hedge fund is pretty difficult as they require an MBA usually. Try for a venture capitalist and equity sector internships and then you have a chance of entering into these sectors. Otherwise, these roles can only be secured post an MBA.
I gave CFA after PS because it is considered by some banking companies. The course is practical and gives a lot of exposure in the investment side of finance.
Level 1 is really easy for economics students, level 2 requires consistency and practice. In the banking sector, CFA certification is a prerequisite in India.
Clubs and departments are majorly for developing soft skills, leadership skills, managerial skills, communication skills, etc. They do help but eventually, you have to prepare for the selection tests and maintain your CGPA for grabbing internships and jobs. These factors can be a tie-breaker but they don't play a major role.
For me, management and general consulting roles were the back-ups. Initially, I also kept the IT sector open but I gradually realized that it's not for me as I wanted more hands-on experience and I didn't enjoy competitive coding that much.
Develop and improve your coding skills for finance as it helps a lot later. Explore a lot during college, don't care about what others say, and do what you want to do. Start investing now and one of the major learning from investing will be how to lose money and the ability to increase your risk appetite. Personal finance is also a very important aspect so start managing your income as soon as you start earning.