Hi! 

My name is Sinte, I am a master’s student from Namibia, pursuing my MSc in Investment Management at the University of Surrey. I would like to share my journey of how I came to the realisation that I wanted to move into the finance sector and how it has been so far.

My undergraduate degree was a Bachelors in Business Management, that I did in Namibia for four years. Within those four years, I was exposed to the various disciplines that it takes to run and manage a business. I had one accounting class, a few economics classes, and a bit of statistics but I was specifically curious about finance and investments. 

When covid came and the lockdown was imposed, I had plenty of time on my hands and started investing in various securities, without any knowledge of how it all worked. After making several losses, I finally decided to start learning more about investing. I spoke to professionals around me and they would help me select securities and calculate returns and I started to enjoy investing. Once the world opened up again, I felt lost and unsure of what career to pursue because I never got to specialise in anything during my undergrad. 

After graduating, I pursued a career in marketing, however, it didn’t challenge me in the way I expected and did not excite me. I continued doing research on the investment field and attending networking events to gain more exposure. After this, I decided that I would want to go back to school to pursue a master’s degree in finance and investments. As I learned more about the discipline, I discovered the chartered financial analyst certificate and decided that I would pursue that as well. I discovered the University of Surrey on the CFA website and found that the MSC in Investment Management was accredited by the CFA institution, this means that 70% of the course material we are taught is from the CFA curriculum, so that is how I chose the University of Surrey.

My journey as a student pursuing a master’s degree in Investment Management has not been easy but very challenging and I’m still learning a lot as I go. The school has provided me with lots of amazing resources to help me be fully equipped to excel as a student, without a background in finance. In my first semester, I completed the Bloomberg market concepts certificate that was included in my modules. I have also improved my technical skills such as Excel, valuation, and financial analysis. I’ve also been challenged to grow as an individual and work on my weaknesses. Apart from the knowledge I have received from the university, I also attend online workshops to gain as much knowledge as possible. There are many resources such as Forage and Amplify.me that give real life experiences of what it’s like to work in the banking sector through job simulations. This has also helped me realise that there are more roles in the investment industry asides being an investment banking analyst. Roles such as Equity Research, Asset Management, Trading, Risk Management, Investment Consultant and more exist and might even be a better option than traditional investment banking. 

My career goal is to become a portfolio manager, and actively manage funds for institutions at a large scale. I plan to continue to gain more knowledge and complete the CFA Charter as well as gain the needed experience to get there. 

Views of Canary Wharf & Barclays Women in Banking Graduate Event 2023

Since I am in the financial center of the world, I continuously make sure to take advantage of that and attend banking events in London to gain more knowledge about the industry. Being so close to London, I always make it a priority to attend these events to help me get an idea of what is out there.. There are plenty of virtual events and events that have been hosted by the university. These events have taught me a lot about the job market in the UK and have given me important information to help me decide if I want to work here after completing my degree. The job market here, especially in the financial sector, is extremely competitive, so it is helpful to start building a network if you want to have a career here, as well as consider your visa options, post graduating. 

Overall, my journey is just beginning, and I am glad I get to build my foundation at the University of Surrey because of all the tremendous support I have received so far and am still yet to receive in my second semester. Even though I know there are still many setbacks and lessons for me along this journey, I look forward to pushing through and learning and growing as an individual.

Thank you for reading about my journey so far.