Careers in the City

Over the next 10 weeks Cass Business School and The Times are running a 10 part series looking at career prospects in banking and finance for university students and recent graduates. The series will cover investment banking, asset management, analysts, private client stockbroking, consultancy (accounting, actuarial, investment, IT), the law, insurance, regulation and the financial media.

The column is written by Debbie Harrison, a Visiting Fellow at Cass and a long-standing contributor to the Financial Times. Every week the latest column can be found on this site alongside columns from previous weeks.

Meeting the deadline (22/3/07)
If you can combine commercial awareness with excellent communications skills – and meet demanding deadlines – you could thrive in the glamorous, high-pressure world of financial media, says Debbie Harrison

Finance needs police too (15/3/07)
Financial crime is on the increase, says Debbie Harrison. If you fancy a policing role in the City then consider a career with one of the regulators.

Not a game of chance (8/3/07)
In a heavily regulated environment like the City, managing risk is fundamental to the success of financial services companies, says Debbie Harrison

Passion and a thick skin will pay off (1/2/07)
If you want to join the “magic circle” of leading corporate legal firms, you’ll need ambition, confidence and a strong commercial outlook, writes Debbie Harrison

City life's a tough test (15/2/07)
Your university years will look like paradise once you join a major consultancy, writes Debbie Harrison. Be prepared for long working days followed by a gruelling regime of study

Working for the firm (8/2/07)
To make it in stockbroking you need a broad knowledge of investment and financial planning, writes Debbie Harrison, but you also need superb people skills.

Ivory tower or trading floor? (31/1/07)
The world of equity research is changing. Some firms have evicted analysts from their ivory tower and put them on the frenetic trading floor, Debbie Harrison writes..

So you want to be a star manager? (25/1/07)
Top asset managers are the City’s equivalent of the Hollywood A-list, Debbie Harrison writes. If you can cope with the pressure and adrenaline, you’ll get the pay to match.

Investment banking: where angels fear to tread? (18/1/07)
This is as glamorous and lucrative as it gets in the City. If you want the power to make and break companies, look no further, writes Debbie Harrison.

And a golden hello to you! (11/1/07)
Think of a job in finance and you immediately think of the City of London. But high salaries go hand-in-hand with high stress, warns Debbie Harrison.