What is your background/education?

lulu123

What are your degrees?

Mine is (still in process) bachelor of commerce - accounting/finance

fabian

After reading the blog post on work/edu background correlation with performance, I was wondering what everyone's educational background is.

I'm non-finance (majored in engineering), but currently in a finance-based job.

Sarah

I specialized in finance and majored in economics. I also did a couple of certificates for financial advising at a retail level but I decided that I don't really like retail that much.
I am looking for a finance related job, and dream about portfolio management. I also like to read finance related books, I can recommend a few if you are interested @fabian =D

policedog

I did architecture, so not very related, haha. Am in finance consulting now though, so work-related experience covered

Snippy

I just graduated in 2012 with a Bachelors of Commerce degree with specialization in finance. No work experience, though. I may be the youngest person around :P

policedog

How young is young?

Reena

@SidMenon, I just graduated too and looking for a job. Did economics in university. We may be in the same boat

Reena

policedog said:

How young is young?

Surely it's forever 21

Snippy

Haha, i'm 21 indeed!

tacheman

SidMenon said:

Haha, i'm 21 indeed!

Where do you live @Sidmenon?

Sarah

Wow so any recent graduates. Congratulations to all!

mikey

Math grad here

Snippy

@TacheMan, I live in Bangalore, India.

Sophie

Awesome, we have quite a varied community here!

bearsfan2690

Recent grad in chemical engineering

Sophie

Hi @bearsfan2690, what do you do since graduation then?

jimmyg

Economics and Math. So I'm under pressure to perform here

AjFinance

I graduated in 2008 with a Commerce Degree, more or less inclined towards accounting. @Diya portfolio management is indeed a dream destination . I like reading as well, can you suggest any good financial literature that you've come across?

Sarah

@AjFinance My favorite author for finance is Michael Lewis, he is pretty famous. I liked Liar's Poker and Boomerang (even my 15 year old sister enjoyed Boomerang). I also like Quants and The Intelligent Investor and Security Analysis (books Warren Buffett is also fond of). If you are interested in behavioural economics/finance I recommend Dan Ariely's books and if you have time Superfreakonomics and freakonomics. If you lack time freakonomics also has a movie and it follows the book closely.

AjFinance

Thanks @Diya

christine

Love Michael Lewis - Liar's Poker was really funny.

Sarah

@AjFinance I read all sorts of books if you ever need more recommendation just hollar~
Malcolm Galdwell is also an all time favourite but he isn't a finance guy but his books are interesting.
@christine I like all his books in general but the Big Short was so tedious.

AjFinance

@Diya me too. Although I have been into Self Help books off late Speaking about financial books, I heard about a book called Currency Wars while attending a seminar.

Sarah

@AjFinance I've heard of it. Actually recently I haven't been reading finance/economics related books - CFA is enough for now lol. Recently I've been interested in the brain and how it works.

AjFinance

@Diya surely its enough :P I had read "Power of the subconcious mind" sometime back. Its a good read.

hairyfairy

@Diya I did go on a Freakonomics bender some time back, including a lovely book called More Sex is Safer Sex. that's an eye-catching title!

Sarah

@AjFinance The second I see self-help book I am turned off. But since you are recommending it, l will look for a copy and give it a try. It sounds a lot like "Thinking, fast and slow" but that book uses a lot of technical terminology and hence is a slow read T.T
Right now I am reading This is your Brain on Music. Since I like music and I believe that to be a good portfolio manager I have to understand what makes people tick~

AjFinance

@Diya yea well it depends, quite a few friends of mine won't touch self help or motivational literature . I got hooked onto it after reading Robin Sharma's books, have read most of his publications. I have a few financial books on my Amazon Wish list that I need to read. Guess I'll get it on my kindle after the exams

Sarah

@Ajfinance it is just something about self-help books that piss me off. I'm not even sure what it is but I generally don't go anywhere near self-help books even if they become really popular.
Which books do you have on your wish list on Amazon?

DollarsToDonuts

Japanese and Economics major from UCI (Zot zot!) and have been an RIA analyst for about two years now since graduation. Hoping to move to equity analyst role within asset management.

Maroon5

Hi @DollarstoDonuts, what does RIA stand for?