Future plans: There are so many. At this point in time, I am particularly enthusiastic about algorithmic trading and its application in the cryptocurrency space. A synergy between the two seems exciting.
What seizing the moment means to me
Seizing the moment, or rather seizing an opportunity might seem daunting. For many years, I doubted my own capabilities. Was I worthy enough to seize this moment? Did I have the prerequisite credentials? What would others think? It was only in my latter years of university, did it become clearer to me that none of the former questions mattered. No one knows the outcome of seizing an opportunity with 100% precision. So, it’s illogical to fear or doubt the outcome.
When posed with an opportunity, seizing the moment is everything! Cultivating such an attitude is important for many reasons. More so as an Amos Bursary Scholar, with the ethos of the charity being the provision of opportunities for men of Afro-Caribbean descent, to excel in education and beyond. Since joining the program, I have been provided with a plethora of opportunities.
One opportunity, which landed me a graduate job at Barings Asset Management. This started with an email about the firm hosting a business networking breakfast, and whether I would like to be involved. Having just completed a professional qualification from the Chartered Institute of Securities & Investments over my summer break, I had decided that I would like to work in finance for a few years, so I jumped at the opportunity with the aim of making a good impression. That impression would be reflective of the bursary as a whole, as I was not the only scholar present.
Fast-forward to after the breakfast and networking event, I received another email from the Amos Bursary stating that the firm would like to have a few scholars participate in their summer internship programme. They had been that impressed with us. At that point, I had an offer from another firm for a similar enough programme, so it would have been easy for me to ‘forget’ about the email. However, I seized the opportunity, responding with my most up-to-date CV.
Fast-forward again, the firm had offered me a position as a summer intern, which I accepted. Thus, in the last few weeks of the programme, each intern had been tasked to prepare a presentation on the projects they had been working on over the 8 weeks. I was kind of nervous as my whole team would be present, and this (to me), was the make-or-break point at which the team would decide to offer me a position. The Amos Bursary played a key role once again, as I was able to solicit feedback and advice from other scholars. Such a supportive network is truly priceless.
My advice
My advice to the younger generations is two-fold. If you are confused as to what you want to do with your life, it’s not the end of the world (I still am in some respects), but the trick is to seize every opportunity that you think you just might be interested in. For those who think they already know, I would suggest the same thing. The world is a perpetually evolving enigma, and in some sense, a beautiful one. With change comes new opportunities and moments to seize. Those who do this, not only maximise their chances of success but are rewarded (in some way) in this game we call life.