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Final year medic from Cambridge (6 yr course) wanting to get into banking.

I want to register as a doctor so that I have a safety net but I hope to get into banking in 2010. I've been to see the Careers Service, asked around, and tried to read up about banking on the internet but nothing's making much sense to me. I was wondering: 1) What are the best resources for reading about the different job sectors that exist? I've already read the 'financial sectors explained' bit on this website and other websites but I'm still confused. I've heard that the pharma industry is good for medics but not sure what it entails? 2) What should I be reading to prepare for interviews? I still don't have much of a grasp of the jargon. 3) How can I get work experience if I don't have time to do a 10wk intership? Thanks! Asked by Medic09, 79 days ago

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ANSWERS (3)

Medic09, 77 days ago

Thanks DominiConnor. I've just started my final year and I'm graduating next June. I'm at Cambridge University so I hope this gives me a bit of an advantage but I don't have any time to do any internships as our holidays are short and I have to start work in August after graduation so don't have 10 weeks to spare. I spent all of this afternoon ringing up the HR departments of lots of banks to ask about organising informal work shadowing but to no avail. Any ideas?

DominiConnor, HR & Recruitment, 78 days ago

Nmartin178 is simply wrong... Of course you should make sure you have a safety net, in banking we call it a hedge. You're in a very stressful place in your life, it may be that when the dust clears, a medical career seems more attractive. There exist a few roles for people who understand medicine for those parts of banks that deal with related industry, but although it is worth looking at, the odds are not great. I'd also counsel you to look at law, the skill sets overlap more than you think, as well there being parts of law that will use what you have learned. However that's two years of study. Actually most things you want to move towards require transitional education. When you say "final year", do you mean you're just about to finish, or starting your final year ?

nmartin178, 79 days ago

Safety net? You need to decide what direction you would like your life to go in and act on it. By sitting on the fence you will restrict yourself in both professions... IMO the Student Guide on here is THE most helpful piece of literature I read in identifying the different roles within a bank. I would recommend re-reading if you didn't understand from a first read. By "Pharma industry is good for medics" I think you mean that with your medical experience, advising in M&A deals for pharmaceutical companies would be better than, for example, food companies. For interviews, etc - read the student guide, search the internet...there are lots of good resources. Surely you are able to distinguish between the good/bad?! Work Experience - Think outside the box. If you can't think of anything I do not think a career in finance is necessarily right for you!!!

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