From accounting to fintech—building skills for the future of finance

Q: Tell us about your background.  

A: I am originally from India, where I completed my Chartered Accountant course, the equivalent to a CPA in the United States. I spent three years working as an audit executive. During this time, I came across mergers and acquisitions and wanted to learn more about valuations. This dive into information and learning excited me. Although I was learning a lot in my position as an audit executive, I wanted to develop skills outside of this particular sector. By pursuing my master's, I could prepare myself for a career I was excited to start.  

Q: Why did you choose D'Amore-McKim? 

A: The main reason I chose D'Amore-McKim was that every course aimed to prepare me for the finance industry's future. This program's integration of technology into its finance courses stood out. Many positions in the finance industry look to hire candidates that have background knowledge in programming and experience with coding languages like Python and SQL, and the MS in Quantitative Finance provides courses where I could learn these skills. This is especially important when going into corporate finance or fintech. The Northeastern alumni network has also helped me to advance and implement my future goals. 

My background is in auditing and accountancy, so the flexibility of the 16-month program was especially important because I wanted to have enough time to complete a graduate co-op, network, and make connections in the finance industry.  

Q: What was it like being a part of the 360 Huntington Fund?

A: It has been an exciting learning experience. At the 360 Huntington Fund, members research, analyze, and consider investing in certain stocks and present their findings. I began at the 360 Huntington Fund as a financial analyst and was promoted to Chief Financial Officer less than one year later. Having this experience is great because I can speak from practical experience when interviewing with future employers. I talk about the models we use at the Fund and how I will apply that knowledge to their role. It also helped us win the Quinnipiac's Global Asset Management Education Forum XI, 2022 where I was part of the team representing the Northeastern. 

Q: Tell us about your graduate co-op with CooperCompanies. How did it prepare you for your future? 

A: For my graduate co-op, I worked in the finance department at CooperCompanies for six months, focusing on financial and variance analysis, reporting, benchmarking, and expense accrual calculations. Courses like Corporate Finance, Investment Analysis and Valuations prepared me to succeed in this role. Using technology and programming knowledge from the course has helped me enhance this experience by managing large datasets. This experience helped me further develop my financial analysis and reporting skills while establishing a network that will be useful in my future career. 

Q: What was your biggest challenge during the program, and how did you overcome it?

A: The MS in Quantitative Finance helped me get over my fear of technology. Python and other programming languages were something I used to dread, but the courses helped me learn to use them to my advantage. Not only did the program help me forget my fear, but it helped me completely dominate it. I am now confident understanding and using coding language. This program also helped me become comfortable and better acquainted with stock investing and financial planning. After participating in Fund, I understand why or why not to invest and the impact of those decisions. 

Q: What advice would you share with future students? 

A: Start early and plan well. No matter how busy your life gets during this program or how hard you think it is, I promise your time here will only help you in the long run. I also think students should remember to save time for themselves and enjoy the little things because they deserve it.

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Gaining confidence through virtual work experience

“Completing a virtual work experience gave me the confidence to answer questions about portfolio management in an interview. I can talk about my experience in any interview, not just for a portfolio analyst position.”

Solidifying my aspirations for a private equity career through graduate co-op

“For my graduate co-op, I worked as a private equity intern assisting with due diligence. Each day, I connected with investment bankers to source deals. I was included in projects from start to finish. This complete immersion and hands-on learning experience reinforced my desire to work in private equity.”

Finding her place in finance and making an investment in her future

“The MS in Quantitative Finance degree allowed me to pursue a variety of classes and determine the path I wanted to take in finance. It was an investment in my future. For me, Northeastern ticked all these boxes in addition to being a university centered in a student-friendly community where peers from all over the world surround you with unique perspectives.”