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Rank: Posteur Expérimenté
Groups: Member
Joined: 12/30/2009
Posts: 54
Location: Toronto
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brady23 wrote:Wow thanks guys!
Well as much as I loved sciences, I really loved learning about finance/money in business class this semester, and was even researching good paying careers in finance, but I could only find a financial advisor. I was even in the investment club and loved it, but from what my business teacher told me, you're expected to get clients to use your services, and that requires somewhat good sales skills. I just don't want to go into anything where I might have to persuade someone to get into something they don't want to. The finance field generally has the highest paying careers on average that you can get into immediately following a 4 year undergraduate education. Some of the careers in addition to financial advisory include: - Commercial Banking (taking in deposits and lending at higher rates) - Asset Management (investing a pool of money for clients) - Investment Banking (a little complicated to explain, but they may advise on corporate mergers as well as bond and stock issues, and have traders who try making money by buying and selling things quickly on the financial markets) - Research (basically valuing different financial assets, understanding events and markets) - Corporate Finance (you are in a corporation, trying to figure out the best way to use or obtain cash) - Real Estate (has a very important financial valuation component, especially with mortgage and commercial real estate) - Actuarial Science (its own field, but I lump it in here because they work with risk and return, and unavoidably linked with financial decisions) Honestly speaking, I like your attitude. But to be a realist, you'll find out quickly that in finance you will often be pressured by your institution (if not your own greed) to persuade someone into something that may not be in their interest.
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Rank: Posteur Expérimenté
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/6/2010
Posts: 213
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lol thanks.
I guess finance wouldn't be the best choice for me. All those careers you mentioned in finance, involve trying to persuade someone to buy something right? Forcing them to get into something they don't want to is not the only problem, I feel that I would really lack in trying to persuade people to use financial services unless they really wanted to find out about them. And, I heard you get fired if you can't pick up clients fast enough, and with my sale pitch it wouldn't go well.
However, because I love finance, I was always thinking of doing a minor in finance, but people keep telling me that if you like engineering, finance is something totally opposite and you don't need it. But I don't know.
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Rank: Président du conseil étudiant
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/23/2009
Posts: 994
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brady23 wrote:JX2 wrote:to all of you torn between business and science, i had the same problem. but i have a solution!  the ivey 2+2 program is perfect. you get to try out science for 2 years (you can take business courses as your electives). at the end of 2nd year you can decide whether you want to go into business, stay in science or do both (the double degree program). i decided to switch from science to business at the end of second year. i still graduate on time. coming out of grade 12 i did not have enough experience to make such an important decision - one that would define my career. ivey is an elite school and western biomed is also a very good program. the only catch, you need to keep an 80 average in your first two years of university (very doable). Seriously! Could you please tell me about this 2+2 program? Could I do civil engineering and if I decided to go into both, I could get a double degree! That sounds awesome. yes with the ivey hba, you can study whatever you want in your first two years at western. for years 3 and 4 you go to ivey. for the double degree, years 4 and 5 are a combination of your two subjects. you graduate with two honours degrees in 5 years. you should apply for aeo status coming out of high school (a 90 avg and decent ec's should get you in) http://www.ivey.uwo.ca/hba/
UWO HBA 1
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Rank: Posteur Expérimenté
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Joined: 3/6/2010
Posts: 213
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Are there any finance careers that aren't really "sales-based" (trying to find clients and persuade them to use your services so you don't get fired). What about something in corporate finance like a CFO? I read the description, and it really interests me because you make finance reports, cash flow statements, but I still don't know too much about it.
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Rank: Posteur Expérimenté
Groups: Member
Joined: 10/18/2009
Posts: 140
Location: Toronto
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I would highly recommend trying something like DECA.
Just because you are good at a subject in school, doesn't necessarily mean you're going to like or be good at it it at as a career.
Applying To: (in order of preference)
Schulich iBBA
Queen's Commerce
Western Political Science + Ivey AEO
McGill Desautels
McMaster Degroote
Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.
It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed.
Every morning a lion wakes up.
It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.
It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle.
When the sun comes up, you better start running.
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Rank: Posteur Expérimenté
Groups: Member
Joined: 11/16/2009
Posts: 177
Location: Mississauga
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lets say i get 95+ in bio does that mean i can be a neurosurgeon   ;)
WLU BBA 2014
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Rank: Frosh
Groups: Member
Joined: 7/15/2009
Posts: 31
Location: Toronto
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Communication and people skills are important in any field and in life.
Of course it matters more in business compared to science, but you wouldn't believe how far you'll get if you're a good people person.
Schulich BBA 2014
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Rank: Membre du conseil étudiant
Groups: Member
Joined: 7/4/2010
Posts: 330
Location: Dubai
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Finisher wrote:Communication and people skills are important in any field and in life.
Of course it matters more in business compared to science, but you wouldn't believe how far you'll get if you're a good people person. +1
From Cradle to the Grave!Applying (hopefully) to :1.Schulich School of business
2.Queens Commerce
3.Richard Ivey School of business
4.Desautels Faculty of management
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Rank: Posteur Expérimenté
Groups: Member
Joined: 12/30/2009
Posts: 54
Location: Toronto
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brady23 wrote:Are there any finance careers that aren't really "sales-based" (trying to find clients and persuade them to use your services so you don't get fired). What about something in corporate finance like a CFO? I read the description, and it really interests me because you make finance reports, cash flow statements, but I still don't know too much about it. Research and analytics are generally not as sales based, although there may be institutional pressure for you to reach a conclusion in a certain way. Corporate finance is generally not sales based if you're in industry (i.e. not from the Investment Banking side). Generally anything to do with large buy-side funds are not sales based. Think of it this way. In every financial transaction, you are either buying something or selling something. Big buy-side firms (let's say Canada Pension Plan Investment Board or China Investment Corporation) and high net worth individuals sit on one side. They want to put their money in investments to generate a return. You want to be on this side because it's more objective. On the other side of the table sit sell-side finance guys like Investment Bankers who represent clients trying raise cash by selling these investments. This is the side you don't want to be on.The problem is that many jobs in finance are a mix of both buy-side and sell-side. A mutual fund manager for example, plays the buy side game by buying securities into their portfolio to try and generate a return. But these people must also do things that allow the mutual fund to be easily sold by their front line people (things like abide by a very rigid investment ruleset or charging high fees for average to substandard performance). Most of the jobs you will find are always in this "grey" area between objectivity and salesmanship.
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Rank: Président du conseil étudiant
Groups: Member
Joined: 7/21/2010
Posts: 3,126
Location: Toronto
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Heh....Jiraishin is like a business god on these forums.
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