I
have joined a new MNC. I really do like my work. But I am overwhelmed
by increasing work pressure and my family life is getting neglected.
what do I do? Do i look for a new job?
Ans. What you are facing is a typical problem with any high powered
job nowadays. There is no guarantee that your next job will let
you spend more time with your family. Though we hear about burn-out
due to work related stress; I would recommend you to stay and
give work a chance. May be you would not be in a position to
give quality time to your family but remember a person can't
give 100% to everything. There is a trade off involved- but don't
give up on work more so because you like it .
I am MBA in finance from a TOP B School in USA.
I would like to pursue a career in India in Research in any financial services
company of repute. What options are available to me?
Ans- Alternative Research-Institutional Equity
-As an Research Associate your profile would primarily
involve creating and running financial screens and models
for analyzing equity and derivatives data for trading.
You would be required to develop and run quaint models
to take fundamental data as input and arrive at screens/filters
to pick stocks for short term trading/investing. You would
be required to create and run models on market data to
seek embedded price information in market data to predict
price behavior. Typical inputs in such models are volume
data, delivery data, open interest patterns, cost of carry
data etc from both – cash equities and derivatives
segments. You would also be required to run statistical
screens to arrive at market neutral trading ideas – pair
trading/relative value trades etc., run volatility screens
to suggest options trading strategies – gamma/delta
neutral trades, volatility arbitrage trades; dispersion
trading etc., as well as develop models to suggest ‘alpha’ trades,
develop screens to combine technical indicators and fundamental
filters to suggest short term trading calls & develop
daily data products/periodical market scans and technical
products. To do all this You should be:a CA / MBA (Finance)
from a premier institute with an excellent academic track
record; brilliant with strong analytical / mathematical
skills….Alpha, Gamma, Beta; have good understanding
of market and market forces…the GUT FEEL, Candidates
with basic knowledge of option pricing and experience in
equity markets will be preferred.
I am a graduate and would
like to do an MBA preferably in finance or marketing. Could
you explain what are the positives of the MBA programme?
Ans. MBA prepares you for
life-so they say. It gives you the
confidence and prepares you for the
tough corporate life by fine tuning
your interaction skills and the "can
do" attitude. The programme helps you to become a great
team player from a good team player .Also, you realise quickly
that an MBA has to continuously absorb knowledge, skills an
information and has to continuously perform to earn his salary.
An MBA is expected to respond well to challenges. Specialisations
in MBA are the core area. Finance and Marketing both are the
big lures. But a fresh trainee right out from a B school need
to remember that an organisation looks for a student who can
fit into their culture. They also look for the difference between
a manager and a leader-this is where the grades, internship
experience and relevant project work counts. It is also good
to remember that it is the attitude and knowledge you bring
into the organisation that counts
I am pursuing CA and I am also ICWA
qualified. Would like to pursue a career in audit pref.in internal
audit? Could you explain the role of an internal auditor?
Ans.Along with CA a relevant qualifications in CISA etc also desirable.Major
responsibilities would include setting up the internal audit department. Handling,
finalising, and certification on internal audits of the company, risk based internal
audit plans and execution. Pre-audits, reviewing systems and procedures to identify
control weakness for corrective actions. Statutory complainces and coordination
with auditors etc.
I am working with a public sector insurance
company- would like to change to a private sector insurance
company for fast career growth. Could you advice me if this
would be a correct career step?
Yes, there would be rapid career growth as the insurance sector
in India is witnessing explosive growth. But, analyse yourself
very carefully- after 6 years in the public sector- would you
be able to adjust yourself to the pace of the private sector
work environment?
I am interested to pursue CA in India,
yet the option of going to US and pursue CPA is also there.
I am confused- what should I do?
Ans. If you are looking for only an international / US career
then an MBA + CPA from US would be extremely useful. But if you
are also eager to explore the job opportunities in India-then
I would recommend you to pursue your CA here and perhaps get
your CPA as an additional qualification. Moreover recent reports
suggest that soon Indian CAs would be able to work in Singapore
and European Union as their qualification would be recognized
there.
CA + MBA or CA + LLB which has a better
career prospect?
Ans. This would largely depend upon your personal aptitude. An
MBA finance from a reputed B-School would be a great advantage
to you as would have lot many job offers.
Also, many finance roles demand that you be an MBA-e.g. financial
analyst, investment analyst, opportunities in investment banking
etc. A CA with LLB would give you an advantage in a role where
employers need legal background.
Also worth considering is the time required to complete the above
two courses. MBA - 2 years. LLB- 3 years, after graduation. |
