Q LAST year, I graduated from Temasek Polytechnic with a diploma in business, specialising in logistics and operations management. However, I am more interested in the stock market and investments.
I have applied for a Bachelor of Business (Economics and Finance) degree programme at the Singapore Institute of Management. My lessons are expected to start in January next year and end in June 2009. After that, I intend to take up a course leading to a Chartered Financial Analyst from Kaplan. I hope to retire before I am 50.
My questions are:
1. With these two certifications, what are my job opportunities?
2. What are the requirements if I am interested in becoming a share broker?
A IT SEEMS as though you have aspirations to retire rich and happy by 50 years of age.
I note your interest in the stock market and investment sectors.
What does the future look like in the financial and investment sectors? The financial industry is evolving rapidly. Around the world, financial markets are being deregulated and financial institutions are merging and restructuring.
The information technology (IT) revolution has been a key driving force behind these changes. The Internet has enabled consumers to be much better informed.
As a middleman (a stockbroker), one must add value to stay relevant. Consumers can now readily find information about companies and financial products on the Web, and they will increasingly want to trade stocks, manage their finances and invest their savings online.
This has accelerated the pace of 'fund-innovation'. It is forcing banks, insurance companies, stockbrokers and fund managers to develop new and improved financial products and services, many to be offered over the Internet.
There are now many job search portals to enable you to seek out more information on life as a stockbroker. By looking at these sites, you can add clarity to your thinking process and career road mapping built around your passion in the area of wealth creation.
The paper qualifications that you seek to acquire must also be backed by relevant experience, industry mentors and strong networks if you wish to scale up in the financial and investment sectors.
Personal mastery in any chosen career takes focused disciplined effort. Seek out the right context to apply your talents and abilities effectively and for a better yield.
Every high-paying job carries tremendous stress levels, so do manage your job/stress level around your lifestyle goals.
Seek out a life/financial planner to work out your financial goals and an action plan that will allow you to realise your plan to retire at 50.
If you want to quench your thirst for some financial success strategies, there is a book co-authored by Ms Serene Loong - The Science Of Getting Rich - available at all leading bookstores. Ms Loong sums up how she achieved her goal: 'If I do work, it is because I want to, not because I have to.'
To plan strategically for a better future, begin with the end in mind. Understand your strengths, values, passion, purpose and mission.
Christine Sim
Senior Associate Director
KCS Executive Recruitment Services
Advice provided in this column is not meant as a substitute for comprehensive professional advice. E-mail questions to a1admin@sph.com.sg.
