“I want to build a career in the investment industry. I am happy to start with a bare basic salary. But where are the opportunities”, thought Anjali after clearing CFA Level II and struggling to even get interviews from reputed firms. – Anjali Thorat
Anjali had a typical Indian middle-class upbringing. After a childhood in a small town named Roha in Maharashtra, her family moved to Navi Mumbai to support her better education. After Class XII, Anjali pursued an engineering degree and got a job in Larsen & Toubro, the Indian engineering behemoth. Anjali was set for a good life and her parents were happy. Anjali though had other ideas. She had developed a liking for capital markets and decided to sign up for CFA Program. After clearing CFA Level I and Level II, Anjali looked for investment industry roles without success.
After being selected for the YWI initiative, Anjali successfully convinced her parents to swap a stable, good salaried engineering job for an opportunity which didn’t guarantee a job. On joining, she lived away from home for the first time. Even with her finance knowledge, Anjali picked up important skills, including financial modelling, presentation, etc.
Anjali is currently interning in the Private Credit team at BlackRock and is working hard to convert to a full-time role. She is also studying for the CFA Level III exam in June 2020 with the support of a scholarship from CFA Institute.