Why Finance now? What are the merits?

In an ongoing effort to provide you with insight into the current Financial landscape, we have reached out to our Class of 2010 Fellows and asked them to address certain key questions that will help you, the MBA Catapult member key into the market's pulse. In this first installment, we posed the following question, "Why Finance Now, what are the merits?" The following are some of the amazing responses we received addressing this question:

"In my opinion there are three careers that make the most impact: education, politics, and finance. Those three have the broadest reach regardless of who you are, where you live, or what you want to accomplish. As an MBA student at Kellogg I am further developing my education, while politics have never attracted me after seeing how dangerous they could be in Latin America!

What that leaves for me is Finance - where the landscape is always changing and just as you need to be creative and strategic in bull markets, bear markets challenge you even more.

The ticker never stops, entrepreneurs never lack the need for funding, and entire countries move forward by accessing financial advice and markets. If you want a career that by definition pushes you to change, adapt, and constantly learn this is for you. Whether you end up trading, providing advising investment banking, pursuing traditional buy-side research, becoming the CFO for a 10 person startup, or trying to lbo the moon (ok that will take better markets…) Finance offers a wide range of opportunities to not only excel career-wise, but also learn specific skills that can help the non-work related organizations that you might be involved in, such as a non-profit or your local church.

This last element is specifically important to me, in that while I have volunteered in the past, I know that I will be much more helpful in the future as I keep developing my finance skills, which many times tend to be lacking as you move into the non-profit sector. In the past decade or so financial professionals have really started to move to the forefront of providing pro-bono services and understanding how to leverage knowledge to impact communities."

***Hector Fernandez (Kellogg '10)

"As we are currently witnessing, the world of Finance is the key driver of any economy. Today, we are facing an unprecedented time where this “key” is once again changing due to mistakes made within the industry. Right now is the best moment to dive into the subject and learn about its origins, its transformation, its current familiar and its future state. Whether you want to be an employee in a corporation, an executive in a service form, a nonprofit member or an entrepreneur, knowing and understanding about finance is key to your personal development."

***Karlo Teran (Kellogg '10)

"Where there is chaos, there is opportunity. If this maxim is to be believed, then the current crisis represents a landscape teeming with opportunities. To be sure, there will be difficult times ahead. And the financial sector will feel that acutely. However, for the most enterprising practitioners, this is also a chance to shape the financial services sector for the future. The new regulation that will inevitably arise from this will demand that firms rapidly adjust their businesses to conform. Finance professionals that can demonstrate deep understanding of the new rules will be highly sought after for their expertise-- and well compensated in the process. That said, anyone entering this business now should be comfortable with rapid change. It is a new day; and Wall Street 2018 will likely bear a very small resemblance to Wall Street 2008. Witness the evolution since 1998, and how Sarbanes Oxley and the repeal of Glass Steagall have radically changed the way business is done in the financial sector. By most accounts, the coming changes will easily dwarf what took place in the last decade. In such an environment, it is absolutely critical to remain in close proximity to power and information. In truth, the two are one and the same. There is no organization in the world that is better prepared than the Toigo Foundation to be a port in the coming storm and give aspiring finance professionals the tools they will need to navigate this industry. I have personally witnessed doors open at the mention of the Toigo name. I have seen the camaraderie that is built between Toigo’s across years and sectors. And perhaps most importantly, I have seen the high regard that the industry at large has for this organization. Recruiters no longer view this as a minority recruiting program. Whether in financial services or other allied industries, HR professionals view the Toigo Foundation as a resource to help them identify the most ambitious and most talented finance professionals in the country. Period. I am honored to now be a part of that lineage, and like so many before me, will do all that I can to provide assistance to future Fellows who aspire to carry on the dual mission of service and leadership that Toigo has come to represent."

***Vincent Harris (Darden '09)

"Why Finance? Finance is at the core of all business decisions. Great companies rely on finance professionals to make strategic decisions that will move their business forward. The current financial crisis has not only highlighted the importance of the financial markets to the global economy but it has also illustrated the importance of having top talent in the financial services industry. This provides us with a tremendous opportunity to be at the forefront of the restructuring that is occurring in the industry and help shape the role of finance in business today. Given the importance of this transition, we will need to be prepared to demonstrate our ability to succeed in this challenging environment. The Toigo APEX program helps you to sharpen your skills and perform at your best. Access to information and the ability to create value out of that information is the purpose of financial services firms. The Toigo Foundation provides its fellows with access to arguably one of the most expansive financial services networks in the country. This network will be invaluable to your future success in finance and in business in general."

***Tanesha Parker (Darden '10)