Hi Baccardisprite ,
I chose to reply in the same post as many questions are similar
I'm new to this thread, I was also just a confused passed out graduate working in IT around 6 months back, After lots of research, talking to experienced people and understanding myself, I've become much more clearer in my career goals,
I have lot of interest in finance, economics and corporate markets etc, My parents are bankers and I've been following Economic data and the stock markets etc for around 2-3 years.I'm also pretty interested in business analyst roles related to finance rather than other fields.
Profile:
X- 81%
XII - 92.5%
B.Tech(EEE) from SASTRA University- CGPA of 8.52,
Work- I am working in TCS for the past one year, Even during the training I volunteered and had responsibilities of the lass representative. I 'm working with Citi cards and got to know a little more about credit card businesses due to the project, I'm not very satisfied with my job right now as its pretty dull ,not very challenging and prospects for growth are also less (also because of interest to move over to finance related jobs),
I've organised sports tournaments in College and participated in quite some extra curricular activities like involving in publishing department magazine, and being a member of the EEE student council etc
I'll be giving the GMAT in december , I've been preparing for one week now.
I'm considering a Masters in Finance,financial economics, quantitative finance and am considering applying to HEC , RSM with CEMS(Rotterdam), ESCP-EAP Grenoble, Cass and Stockholm School of Economics in Europe.
My goals include staying and working abroad for quite a long time (10 years)
1. What are the career opportunities like, for HEC, LSE, RSM and ESCP-EAP?, I'm particularly interested in HEC(MFE) and Grenoble(As I have a basic knowledge of french(4 years in School, largely forgotten though) and love the language)
2. I'm very particular on getting good jobs and its on the top of my priority,
3. How would a Masters in International business from Grenoble Fit? ( As it gives a decent footing on general marketing,management also)
4. I would be taking a loan only to finance my studies with little assistance from parents.
5. What is the working visa situation like, if an Indian national wanted to work in the EU after graduation?
6)Should the youth unemployment rate(Europe and US) which is alarmingly high be a concern for graduates from pretty good business schools after 2 years( who fall under the highly skilled category) ?
6) I am a little reluctant(mainly due to cost) on schools in US (though would love to go there as education is really good and also the discrimination is less during job selections) , can you suggest any?
I Plan to apply for the Fall 2010 programs or Jan 2011 programs if any.
I really appreciate any guidance you would give me .
Merci beaucoup!
Srikanth
1) Careers in finance are tough for people without experience who want to get in. The major European Financial Centers London, Paris, Amsterdam, Zurich & Frankfurt have seen financial professionals laid off in droves the last 12-15 months, starting with the Bear-Stearns, then Lehmann collapses. Recovery is slow and its the experienced professionals who gain first preference going forward as the markets recover. Your opportunities in this field whatever school you graduate from will not be easy to come, and it will be a major challenge for the next 2-3 years before markets recover to anywhere close to their 2006-2007 levels. That said, clarity of thought & career goals is always good.
I would advocate a few things for you going forward:
- You seem to be young (- Use the next 2-3 years to Learn French / German again, up to business conversational levels, you won't have the time in school. But learning the language to a level where you can talk / write / read business is & will be very attractive to future employers
- Start preparing for and get to at least Level II in the CFA, try and achieve a professionally endorsed qualification alongside your future Masters in Finance
- Attempt to get into a good Corporate / Quantitative Finance program 2-3 years from now, shoot for a good GMAT score this November, and use that score for a 2011 entry into any of LSE, LBS (Master of Finance), Cass or Cambridge, or HEC in France or Rotman in Toronto (Canada).
2. Nothing wrong with that
3. Not very well known, stick with the big name finance schools / programs. Like I said, no rush.
4. Then exercise financial discipline through the next 2-3 years and save every penny you can to educate yourself with your equity rather than debt.
5. Depends on economy / financial markets (you can't control it), and how well you use the resources & training given by the career services in your school to conduct your job search on or off-campus. If your parents have good networks / know people working in Europe / UK, no harm or shame in asking them to help you out with your job search. It all comes down to this - can you convince the prospective employer to "want" you as much as "need" you? Also, is your employer a well known name (big bank, corporation) for whom it is relatively less challenging (but not easy) to get work-permit for you? It depends, it's all how you can handle it. In the UK (unless the Gov changes rules... again) you should have a 2 year permit to work after graduating a Masters Program from a UK university. I understand (but please check) that Canada accords the same for Internationals graduating a Masters Program from a Canadian University.
6. Yes, it should be; unemployment has spanned all ages, all sectors and education levels.
Cheerz & Good luck
IELTS - 7.5
IELTS - 7.5
regards, Sid