Recent graduate David Snider shared his personal insight about career choices and paths in the financial industry as part of the Career Center’s Fannie Mitchell Expert-in-Residence program in Social Psychology yesterday.
Snider, Trinity ’07, is co-author of the recently published book “Money Makers: Inside the New World of Finance and Business,” which provides an inside look at the most selective fields of business and finance through interviews with top executives, including Jamie Dimon, chairman and chief executive officer of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., and David Rubenstein, Trinity ’70, co-founder of The Carlyle Group and a member of the Board of Trustees.
“The idea for the book was to give grounding for what these careers [in finance] were,” he said.
Snider previously worked at Bain & Company, a management consulting firm, but now works in the private equity group at Bain Capital, a private investing firm.
Snider said he used to wonder whether these fields in finance were actually valuable or simply helping the rich get richer.
However, through interviews for his book, Snider said he discovered that many people in the finance industry find their work personally fulfilling, despite the long hours and high levels of stress, and feel they positively contribute to society.
Snider emphasized the importance of creative networking for gaining access to the successful industry leaders that he interviewed for his book. He noted that Duke’s large alumni and employee network was incredibly helpful in reaching his sources.
In addition to speaking about his book, Snider gave personal insights on how to be successful in the business world.
“A positive attitude is like a British accent, it will give you an edge,” Snider said. “ No matter how smart you are at Duke, you still have no idea what you are doing when you start [a new career], so a positive attitude is crucial.”
He added that, in the work force, one works with some of the smartest and most driven individuals in the world, so having a positive attitude is even more important to surviving mentally.
Snider also gave tips on how to choose a company to work for by asking critical questions.
“Would I invest my money here? What are their expectations about my career trajectory? And where do people who leave here go to work?” he told audience members to ask themselves.
Snider also said students should not solely think about money when they choose a career in the finance industry.
“You never know how the industry will do in the future and it may take a long time before you reach a position to earn a fortune,” Snider said, noting that students should truly enjoy the field they choose, regardless of the compensation.
After Snider’s lecture, students asked questions about his own career trajectory and the reasons behind his career choices.
Snider said he gained the most from his four years at Duke by writing his senior thesis, which he considered the most relevant practice for his later consulting work because he was able to formulate questions and do independent research.
Freshman Philip Srebrev, who attended the event, said he was excited to meet a Duke alumnus who had first-hand experience in the financial industry.
“Since he is a Duke alum, I felt his path can be my own,” Srebrev said. “I try to go to as many of these events such as this as possible so that I can test the waters in different fields.”
Margeir Asgeirsson, a graduate student in the Master of Engineering Management Program who is currently in the process of applying for finance jobs, said he thought the event could give him insider knowledge that he could not get from his professors.
“[Snider] interviewed very interesting people who are in the middle of everything that’s going on [in the financial world],” he said.
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