The start of the school year is always hectic, but this year has been on a whole new level. Between AP and college classes, college applications, ISM, and transitioning from online to in person learning, this year has started off with a bang. I have already begun to make strives to make myself accessible to professionals and potential mentors and to further my knowledge of my topic of study.
So far in my ISM journey I have created a foundation for what is to come. I created a LinkedIn profile and begun to connect with professionals in the field of finance, as well as creating a digital portfolio to display all my future work and progress. Creating the foundation for my ISM journey has served to fan the flame that is my excitement for ISM and my topic of hedge fund analysis.
I have also begun to research hedge fund analysis and the business/finance world more in depth, and my excitement for my topic continues to grow. I already had some knowledge of hedge funds and the description of the work, but I wanted to expand upon what I already knew. I decided to research the career outlook of hedge fund analysis, which gave me much insight to the specifics of the career. Some of the knowledge I gained was the hours of work, structure/hierarchy of hedge funds, general tasks and responsibilities of a hedge fund analysts, and the education and experience necessary to work at a hedge fund. Although I have already learned so much about hedge fund analysis, I know I have only begun to scratch the surface. I want to continue to expand my knowledge of the career and learn more about the specifics of daily activities and the future of the career.
Moving forward, I want to grow my network as well as my knowledge base in the field. I plan on utilizing coach Goff's connections as well as my own connections to find a mentor who can give me valuable insight on my topic. My hope is that in the near future I will have some mentor visits planned and have a greater understanding of the work of my field.