1. Please provide a brief introduction of who you are. 

I’m Anran, and I graduated from the AFM program in 2019. Like most students, I went into the program thinking I would become a CPA. For the first two years, that story worked and I completed my first two co-ops at PwC in Assurance. Eventually, I became really interested in the finance pathway, and consequently, completed my remaining co-ops at TD Securities under their Investment Banking co-op program. After graduation, I returned to TD Securities under the same role.

2. Why do you think being able to deal with difficulties is important as a woman in finance? 

Finance by itself is a decently challenging field, so knowing how to handle difficulties is definitely a key skill. From what I’ve seen, the industry is quite contrary to traditional stereotypes on a male-dominated, cut throat culture. So I think being able to deal with difficulties is equally important regardless of gender. Challenges aren’t harder or easier, more frequent or less frequent just because you’re female. On this topic, my tip for students entering a finance co-op would be to look out for difficulties related to the change in environment. In school, you’re surrounded by your friends, have a very structured class schedule, and have faculty to walk you through the material. When starting a new job, you will be working with a new team on tasks where you may not have the ideal guidance on. So having a positive attitude, being adaptable, and applying intuition are good ways to handle difficulties.

3. What types of hardship/difficulties have you faced at school?

At school, the biggest difficulty for me was time management. I’d imagine this response is fairly common – specifically, I remember my entire 3A term was just midterm after midterm. In AFM, the course content is straightforward, so the challenging part is balancing academics with extracurriculars, recruiting, and a personal life. That was definitely the hardest thing for me going through university, and the unfortunate news is it doesn’t get any better when you go into full-time. Especially for those interested in a finance pathway, the nature of work in the industry puts a heavy emphasis on deadlines and time constraints. Although looking back, I feel that AFM provided me with valuable practice on being organized. It’s better to trial with time management in university, than live on the job.
​
4. How do you think your co-op experience in finance helped you learn to deal with hardships?

On the first day of my finance co-op, there were only two students joining the department. As a result, we got no training and had received instructions to just show up and hit the desk. I remember not knowing anyone and having very little knowledge about the job’s intricacies, so that was the first challenge. Resolving it was a combination of figuring it out by myself and learning from those around me. Especially amongst the junior staff, you’ll find everyone is super willing to help you and explain things. However, finance isn’t a breezy, hand-holding kindergarten so there’s also a lot of independent problem-solving and learning stuff on my own time. So to answer the question, my co-op experience taught me that challenges related to not fully understanding something will always exist. I found that a combination of independent thinking and learning from your team were the best ways to overcome these challenges.

5. What tips would you give students to overcome difficult moments in their finance career? 

The first tip is for students who are already at the desk. Ask questions if you don’t know something, don’t guess or waste time spinning wheels. Get to know your team because fit is so important and the job becomes much more fun if you like who you work with. Take the initiative to learn as much as you can, which means absorbing the technical knowledge and learning what’s expected of you. These things sound cliché because they are critical to being able to overcome the hurdle moments.

Next, I have one last tip specifically for students who are contemplating a career in finance. I know the accounting firm co-ops offer great job security compared to the uncertainty in recruiting for a new finance co-op. I’ve heard so many students say it’s too risky to walk away from an eventual accounting full-time offer, and also have it not work out in finance. Honestly, students should scratch this thought. If you have even a notional interest in finance, try exploring more about the field. Forget about “what if it doesn’t work out”. Talk to people with the jobs you want, join finance extracurriculars (the Student Investment Fund is a great one), try the finance electives (AFM477, AFM478 are highly recommended). Don’t be scared to use a co-op term to try something new. That’s why you have four terms and not one.

---