Home / Career Developemnt / Alumni programme / Alumni stories / Jessica Mbayiwa
The main thing I enjoy about my job are the interactions that I have been able to make with people in different roles within the firm as well as outside the firm. It has enabled me to get to know the different job roles which in turn will help me understand more about my firm.
I have good analytical skills which has benefited me greatly with my current role as I have to oversee a lot of reports and control checks daily to ensure there are no administrative errors and to spot any suspicious money movements with our private and corporate clients. I also partake in regular trade deals with clients based in Taiwan, this has enabled me to understand more about exchange rates and how the stock market can regularly affect the trades I input.
The most challenging thing about my job would be needing to find a solution to problems quickly. Some tasks I have faced need resolving as soon as possible, but I would need time to look it up and make the best decision. Sometimes I do not have that opportunity and I need to make a decision quickly, without all the facts I would like to have. My colleagues rely on me to make a decision that could have bad consequences, if I get it wrong. I not only find this part of my role challenging, but exciting too.
During my first year at Sixth Form I was fully convinced that I really wanted to go to university and take the ‘traditional’ route into my career. This was due to my lack of knowledge of the apprenticeships and traineeships. At school an Investment20/20 apprentice, who previously attended my school, came in to speak about her experience as an apprentice but also about the different opportunities Investment20/20 has to offer.
I always knew I wanted a career in finance and the best thing about Investment20/20 is that it provides a range of different roles, which allowed me to explore different opportunities in the investment management sector and find what role best suited me. As I was still unsure whether I wanted to go to university or not, I decided to take a gap year and was fortunate enough to get given this trainee role, which is 12 months, to help me decide whether I wanted to go into full time work or onto university.
As I have been exposed to the investment management industry and gained a lot of knowledge about the industry through Investment20/20, I know that this is a career that I would like to continue pursuing. I have only been working at Jupiter Asset Management for a couple of months and where I have enjoyed my experience so far, I have decided not to go to university and look to study whilst I work for job related qualifications e.g. IMC and CFA to expand my knowledge of the industry.
My Investment20/20 experience has been very enlightening. The scheme has enabled me to build relationships with other young people who are in the same position as me from different backgrounds as well as network with highly experienced people who have given me insight about how their careers have taken off.
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