BTU #35 - Casey Carroll: Sales & Trading in the Finance Industry

“I think that’s one of the things that I love most about my job is that my whole life I’ve always been interested in the news and what’s going on in the world. Now I feel like I get paid to pay attention to it. Any obscure reference, you could make a case that it can have an effect on the market. And for that reason, you truly have to stay engaged in what’s going on." – Casey Carroll

Casey Carroll lives in Charlotte, North Carolina and works with Wells Fargo in their Credit Sales department. He started out at Duke University, where he studied History and Visual Arts, and was on the Men’s Lacrosse Team. He served for four and a half years in the Army with the Rangers as a Fire team Leader. After transitioning from the Army he returned to Duke, this time at their Fuqua School of Business.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

• Casey’s decision to go to business school instead of going straight into industry
• An overview of a career in High Yield Sales & Trading in the Finance Industry
• The day-to-day life of someone in High Yield Sales & Trading
• How Casey knew he wanted to enter the world of Finance, and how he found his way to Wells Fargo
• Indications that you may really like a career in Sales & Trading… and signs you may hate it
• And much, much more…

• • Listen to it on iTunes.
  • Stream by clicking here.
  • Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How can I make these episodes more valuable to active duty military personnel considering transitioning to the civilian world? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Show Notes

• 1:09 - Casey’s road from Duke University to Wells Fargo
• 1:35 - When Casey knew he was going to leave the Army
• 3:30 - The most unexpected and surprising aspects of Casey’s transition to the civilian world
• 7:43 - Casey’s decision to go to business school instead of going straight into industry
• 11:11 - Advice for veterans applying to business school or Duke in particular
• 15:03 - What Casey liked most and least about his time at Duke
• 22:40 - An overview of a career in High Yield Sales & Trading in the Finance Industry
• 25:55 - The day-to-day life of someone in High Yield Sales & Trading
• 31:38 - How Casey knew he wanted to enter the world of Finance, and how he found his way to Wells Fargo
• 34:28 - Indications that you may really like a career in Sales & Trading… and signs you may hate it
• 37:30 - Negative habits Casey had to break when coming out of the military
• 41:10 - Final words of wisdom

BTU #32: Brooke Jones-Chinetti: Cold emails, JPMorgan, and Startup CEO

“Really its a full time job to get a full-time job. Sometimes with veterans, we're bringing these unfathomable managerial skills to these organizations that we transition to. But we forget that stuff shouldn't just be handed to us... I'm the queen of the cold email now, and I wish that I would have had that confidence as I transitioned to try to find veterans at companies that I was interested in, and to hear what their transition was like." – Brooke Jones-Chinetti

Brooke Jones-Chinetti lives in New York, where she most recently served as the CEO of VetTechTrek - a startup that facilitates high-impact trips to leading tech companies for veterans and their spouses. She started out at West Point, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Portuguese and Environmental Engineering. She served in the US Army for over 6 years, during which she deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and to Kuwait as part of Operation Enduring Freedom - Spartan Shield. She also served as Senior Director of Human Resources and served as the executive officer for the Army's Chief of Signal, a 2-star general position. After her transition from the Army, she spent a year in the Financial Services industry with JPMorgan Chase & Co. as part of their rotational Executive Development Program. She is currently studying at Columbia Business School.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

• Step-by-step advice on how to write cold emails to figure out what you want to do and get your foot in the door for a job
• An over of the JP Morgan Chase rotational Executive Development Program
• Brooke’s experience as CEO of an early stage startup at VetTechTrek
• How leadership as CEO of a startup differed from leadership in the military
• And much, much more…

• • Listen to it on iTunes.
  • Stream by clicking here.
  • Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How can I make these episodes more valuable to active duty military personnel considering transitioning to the civilian world? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Show Notes

• 1:56 - Brooke’s background
• 3:04 - How Brooke and her husband both decided to leave the Army
• 6:15 - Evaluating the Reserves
• 10:40 - The most surprising aspect of Brooke’s transition from the Army to civilian life
• 13:15 - How to use cold emails to find other veterans, learn from their experience, and make connections
• 16:25- Brooke’s first job search and what she learned along the way
• 21:36 - Advice on how to manage the timing of your transition from active duty
• 27:20 - Advice for how to better understand yourself and what you’ll enjoy in a career
• 32:15 - An over of the JP Morgan Chase rotational Executive Development Program
• 34:50 - Brooke’s day-to-day life while at JP Morgan Chase
• 38:15 - Brooke’s decision to transition from JP Morgan Chase to Columbia Business School, and wy she chose an Executive Education program
• 43:02 - Brooke’s experience as CEO of an early stage startup at VetTechTrek
• 47:10 - How leadership as CEO of a startup differed from leadership in the military
• 49:01 - How Brooke felt ahead of her civilian counterparts, and where she had to work to catch up
• 51:33 - Final words of wisdom1:24 - Travis' background

BTU #11: Alex Chivers - College at Dartmouth & Investment Banking

“Being able to work with deadlines and under pressure, attention to detail...these little things add up dramatically to put you in a position to do well [in the Civilian world]." – Alex Chivers

Alex Chivers served as a Non-Commissioned Officer in the US Army, where was part of the elite Army Rangers. During his time in the Army, Alex deployed multiple times to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. After leaving the Army, Alex was accepted to Dartmouth College, routinely ranked as one of the top ten colleges in the country. While at Dartmouth, Alex held internships in the Investment Banking world with both Barclays and Perella Weinberg Partners, as well as an internship at the US House of Representatives. Alex has also worked as an Ambassador for Service to School, helping other veterans get into college.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

• His decision to leave the Army.
• How a conversation on Reddit helped him get into Dartmouth
• His work with Service to School, and advice on applying to college
• Common mistakes he sees veterans make in their transition to civilian life
• An overview of the Investment Banking world
• And much, much more…

• • Listen to it on iTunes.
  • Stream by clicking here.
  • Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How can I make these episodes more valuable to active duty military personnel considering transitioning to the civilian world? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

• Service to School - FREE coaching for any military veterans to get into your ideal undergrad or graduate institution
  • Veritas Prep Complete GMAT Course Set - 12 Books
  • Complete GMAT Strategy Guide Set (Manhattan Prep GMAT Strategy Guides)
• Service to School's Undergraduate Application Guide
• Service to School's MBA Application Guide
• American Corporate Partners: free assistance to pair veterans with someone in a desired career field
• Warrior Scholar Project (WSP): WSP is essentially an academic bootcamp for transitioning enlisted veterans at top schools across the country. It is completely free for those attending, but participants usually have to cover transportation costs. It focuses heavily on academic reading and writing and is taught by professors from whatever school it is located at.

Show Notes

• [2:10] Army Rangers, Darthmouth, and Alex's background
• [3:10] Deciding to leave the Army
• [4:31] How far in advance Alex started to plan
• [6:35] Deciding between college vs. straight to industry
• [7:45] Preparing financially for the transition to civilian life
• [9:55] How Alex get into Dartmouth
• [13:10] How a Reddit forum helped him get into college
• [15:35] Advice for college applications
• [18:36] Common misconceptions Alex sees when people are applying to college and transitioning to civilian life
• [23:15] How the Army put Alex ahead... and where he felt behind his classmates
• [27:20] Additional resources to consider
• [28:31] Interning in the Investment Banking world
• [30:50] Interning at the US House of Representatives
• [32:22] What's next for Alex after Dartmouth
• [35:30] Final advice to those on Active Duty

BTU #5 - Bobby Farina: Financial Services and Finding the Right Path for You

“There is an insatiable appetite [at top tier business schools]... at these schools for people who have real leadership backgrounds, and they view the military as an incubator for that." – Bobby Farina

Bobby Farina is a Partner at Sixpoint Ventures, after having spent over 10 years in the Financial Services industry. Bobby attended the US Air Force Academy, where he studied Management, prior to entering the intelligence community as an Information Security Specialist. Although he obtained his MS in in Information Security at Johns Hopkins University while on Active Duty, he chose to attend Columbia Business School after he separated from the Air Force.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

• His decision to leave the Air Force, and how he thought about the Reserves
• Using grad school while in the military to offset a low GPA from undergrad and boost grad school admission chances
• Considering the opportunity cost of pursuing a master's degree vs. entering industry right away
• Recommendations for schools focusing on finance and advice on how to get in
• A breakdown of the Financial Services industry and where veterans fit in
• How to get your first job in Financial Services
• What you may end up missing from the military
• And much, much more…

• • Listen to it on iTunes.
  • Stream by clicking here.
  • Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
  • NEW: Watch on YouTube here:

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How can I make these episodes more valuable to active duty military personnel considering transitioning to the civilian world? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

• McConnel Air Force Base
• Management Major at Air Force (mini-MBA)
• Network Security USAF
• Melissa / I love you Virus
• Intelligence agencies: Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), National Security Agency (NSA), National Reconnaisance Office (NRO), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
• JWIX intelligence network
• Air Force recruiting - ALO - Admissions Liason Officer
• Johns Hopkins MS in Information Security
• Cyber Security jobs referenced: Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin
• Top Tier Business Schools for Finance: University of Chicago (Booth School of Business), Wharton School of Business, Columbia Business School, Darden at University of Virginia, MIT Sloan School of Business
• Bank of America & Evercore
• Financial Services: Investment Banking, Sales and Trading, Private Wealth Management (PWM), Private Equity, Hedge Funds
• Sales Side Institutions Points of Conversation: JP Morgan, State Street, Wellington

Show Notes

• [0:22] - Personal, USAFA and Air Force background
• [6:54] - Decision to leave the Air Force
• [9:54] - Considering Air Force Reserves
• [12:12] - Air Force Reserves while in Financial Services
• [13:04] - Doing grad school while on active duty
• [16:50] - using post college work to boost your GPA if you have a lower college GPA
• [19:42] - deciding on a second master's degree and an MBA
• [21:00] - Choosing Columbia as business school and application process
• [21:53] - Recommendations for Top Tier Business Schools focusing on Finance
• [23:40] - Balancing Applications to business school & general advice
• [26:25] - Finding the right school for you
• [28:30] - Getting the most out of grad school but knowing your intended industry
• [31:00] - Overview of the Financial Services Industry
• [35:45] - Why Financial Services companies love veterans
• [37:45] - What traits they most prize in veteran applicants
• [41:10] - Advice for someone who wants to enter Financial Services industry
• [44:05] - Biggest surprise in transitioning to civilian world

BTU #2 - Jay Border: How to use an Executive MBA to Gain Career Clarity

"A lot of us come out of the military and we've been reassured that our experience in the military is  highly valuable... and I believe that that's true, but I also believe that the transition is not as easy as people want you to believe. It's a lot of work and a full-time job to set yourself up to a successful transition."

– Jay Border

This is a great interview for anyone on Active Duty who is considering going to grad school - Jay does a great job of walking through his decision process amongst grad school programs, and whether to do full-time or part-time, during active duty or after active duty.

Jay Border grew up in South Florida. He had always wanted to be involved in government service, and saw that institutions like the FBI always viewed military service as a plus. That, combined with his love of the water and desire for an academic challenge drew him to the US Naval Academy, where he studied International Relations and National Security. He was selected for Aviation, however was medically disqualified during his pilot training. This lead to a lateral transfer to the Intelligence Community, where he supported Special Operations. While on Active Duty, he completed his Executive MBA (EMBA) at UCLA's Anderson School of Business, and is currently pursuing opportunities in the Private Equity space.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

• His decision to leave the Navy
• How an Executive MBA program allowed him to maintain an income and evaluate a career inside and outside of the military
• Evaluating the financial difference between a private and public university with respect to the GI Bill
• Advantages that veterans have that they don't often realize as advantages
• Considering the cost of grad school
• How to use the GI Bill to make grad school more affordable
• How to use advisors, mentors, and your network to help narrow your job search and get an edge
• The value of "closing doors" on career possibilities early
• How to manage the early stages of a career search as if it were a full time job
• And much, much more…

• • Listen to it on iTunes.
  • Stream by clicking here.
  • Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How can I make these episodes more valuable to active duty military personnel considering transitioning to the civilian world? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

• UCLA Anderson Executive MBA Program
• Message to Garcia
• Wharton's San Francisco EMBA program
• GI Bill Process

Show Notes

• [1:28] - Personal background and decision to go to the Naval Academy
• [2:30] - The Naval Academy, Aviation and the Naval Intelligence Community
• [4:07] - Deciding to leave the Navy
• [7:27] - Reasons for choosing to join the Reserves
• [9:51] - Choosing business school over other graduate school programs
• [15:25] - Choosing an Executive MBA program over a traditional full-time program
• [22:45] - How the military got him ahead, and where he needed to catch up to his non-military peers
• [28:02] - Deciding on UCLA over other MBA programs
• [33:06] - Advice for how to manage a job search
• [39:58] - Building an "Advisory Board" to help with your transition
• [45:30] - Resources active duty military personnel should check out