“How did you spend your reading week?” Thanks to funding from the School of Business and Economics and support from TRU’s Career Education Department and Business Faculty, seven members of the TRUSU Finance Club used their break to travel to Toronto and network with a variety of professionals in the financial sector.
A highlight of the trip was a personal career talk with CFO of Blackberry, James Yersh. The group also met with AISEC to discuss opportunities for future internship programs for TRU students. They networked with TMX bond traders, and had a career meeting with RBC and representatives from the Canadian insurance industry.
TRUSU Finance Club member Suvadeep Haldar says, “Toronto was an amazing learning experience. We met with some fantastic people in the financial industry. Apart from learning what they did and how they did it that took them to their current position, we also learned some valuable life lessons. They are:
- Never give up your dream
- There is no alternative to hard work
- Always follow your heart.”
Haldar is a TRU Post-baccalaureate Diploma in Finance student. Before deciding to attend TRU, Haldar had already earned a Bachelor of Commerce Honours from the University of Calcutta, a Master’s from Indira Gandhi Open University, and gained 5 years of experience in investment banking. He choose to study finance at TRU for its North American context, affordability, and small class sizes. Haldar’s long-term goal is to become an investment banker.
Students can also study finance right out of high school in TRU’s Bachelor of Business Administration, Finance major. This was the path chosen by Mark Robinson, from Hamilton, Ontario. Robinson was looking to experience life in a different part of Canada, and says the chance to live near world-class ski hills was a big draw. He recommends, “Everyone should join clubs. Its a great way to connect with employers for the future”. Robinson is looking ahead to an exciting career in stock trading and portfolio management.
TRU Finance students like Haldar and Robinson are poised for success in their future careers. Thompson Rivers University has recently been welcomed into the CFA Institute University Recognition Program. Entry into the CFA Institute University Recognition Program signals to potential students, employers, and the marketplace that Thompson Rivers University curriculum is closely tied to professional practice and is well-suited to preparing students to sit for the CFA examinations.
“Students in these programs study the Candidate Body of Knowledge, which includes the core knowledge, skills, and abilities identified by practitioners worldwide as essential for successful practice,” says Neil Govier, CFA, Head of University Relations at CFA Institute. “By mastering the fundamentals of the CFA Program as well as the Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct, these future investment professionals gain a strong foundation that helps prepare them well to join the growing CFA Institute community dedicated to promoting the highest standards of ethics, education, and professional excellence for the ultimate benefit of society.”
TRU’s Bachelor of Business Administration Finance Major and Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Finance programs have been acknowledged as incorporating at least 70 percent of the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge (CBOK) and placing emphasis on the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice within the program. These programs position students well to obtain the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation, which has become the most respected and recognized investment credential in the world.
Through participation in this program, Thompson Rivers University is eligible to receive five student scholarships for the CFA Program each year. These scholarships can help students with costs of the CFA exam, and interested students are welcome to contact Dr. Randy Kimmel for more information.
