How do I go about moving professions and becoming an investment manager?

[StageLeft]

I don't really know what one is but I am only very minorly toying with the idea of going into business in some sense.

Currently I'm 22, undergrad in science, doing IT work for the last year. I like it a lot, I'm just thinking perhaps I'd like that more - how do I find out more about it, and what would I do to become one? I am unwilling to leave my full-time employment though...

 

[StageLeft]

^

 

[kranky]

I think jjm is in the investment field, maybe he'll take a stab at this one.

 

[Double Trouble]

I have my MBA in Finance, Marketing and CS, and I'm in Finance myself. I'd have to have some more info on your situation and what you're trying to accomplish, but I should be able to point you in the right direction. Drop me a note and we can discuss

 

[kranky]

Oh, is my face red! Sorry, tagej, don't know how I forgot you were in that field too!

 

[Michael]

I'm in Finance as well. Chartered Accountant who is now the Corporate Controller for a public company in Silicon Valley. It isn't hard to get into an investment company, especially if you're willing to accept an entry level job. As long as you realize that you'll have to work your way up the ladder (and it is very hard work) before you're really making investment decisions, you will do fine.

As a warning, Finance probably has the highest OT hours of any profession and entry level Finance has many, many OT hours, all unpaid.

Michael

 

[Doggiedog]

I'm a tech analyst at a small hedge fund in NYC. I used to be a sell-side analyst at Oppenheimer covering some of this forum's favorite companies: TDFX, TDDD, CREAF, STBI and used to follow AMD, INTC, TXN at Alex Brown.

From my experience, I would have to say you really need to know what you want to do. It would be really hard for me hire someone who is not focused on being for example, a semiconductor analyst or software analyst. A lot of people always used to pass through our office saying yeah I want to work on Wall Street but if they have no clue what exactly they want, chances are there is another person we'd interview next who knew exactly what they wanted to do and was just as qualified (academically). It always seems hit or miss to me. At my shop, we were looking (and still are) for an associate to help out our semiconductor analyst who follows INTC and AMD but we either get guys who know all finance and nothing about semis or semi guys who know nothing about finance.

What I would recommend to you is to find out exactly what you want to do whether it is investment management or sell-side research (which are btw similar but also very different fields).

If you want a talk drop me a line or continue it here.

now_dog@yahoo.com