Levi Pettit graduated summa cum laude in 2018 with a double major in finance and economics from the University of Texas at Dallas, where he was captain of the men’s golf team for two seasons before joining Independent Financial. Worked as an Enterprise Risk Management Analyst. It operates 90 financial centers in Texas and Colorado.
Pettit then accepted a credit analyst role at Veritex Bank, a Texas-based mid-sized regional financial institution with branches in Houston, Fort Worth and Dallas. Then I started working as an investment associate in a first-generation single-family office. Managed private equity and venture capital investment portfolios by evaluating investment options, performing transaction due diligence, and overseeing related investments.
Pettit, who is currently enrolled in the MBA program at Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, said some aspects of the financial industry have changed since he started a few years ago.
For example, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies have begun allowing employees to work remotely at least part of the week, but Levi Pettit, a university acknowledges that people who have just graduated may be interested in this.
“That might be attractive to young people who want to go into finance,” he says. “They may see older friends or family members who have hybrid jobs where they can travel and work from home. But in entry-level jobs, they’re really looking for opportunities to be face-to-face with people every day. That’s where I learned the most and grew the most.
Pettit says regularly observing company leaders, making decisions and performing other tasks helps with professional development.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think a remote environment provides that opportunity,” he says. “If I was graduating today, I would find something that requires me to sit out five days a week and make sure there is some kind of team culture.”
Attaining and promoting employment
If you don’t have much experience in the industry, it can be difficult to impress a potential employer when looking for your first job.
Suppose your university requires you to write a stock pitch as part of your degree program outlining the potential for investing in the stocks of publicly traded companies. In that case, Pettit advises doing your best and submitting your final results for the scheduled interview.
“These companies (may wonder), ‘Do they have the ability to produce a product that is on par with our expectations?'” he says. “Some companies will provide training for this, but if you already have something concrete you can bring to the interview, which can be of great benefit to the employer. ”
Because the industry is so competitive once you’re hired, young professionals may do more than what’s necessary to advance their careers, such as taking an online financial modeling course on the weekends to enhance their skill set. Pettit says you need to be prepared.
According to Levi Pettit, young professionals can also benefit from taking advantage of every opportunity to network and obtain mentorship.
“It has to be done,” he says. “You have to put yourself out there. Find a mentor — Without a mentor in my life, I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today.”
