 | Jason Heath
Vanderbilt MS Finance Class of 2006
Citigroup – Yield Book Analyst New York, NY |
A New Beginning
Moving to Nashville from Arizona was a big step. I didn’t know anyone in the Southeast and made my decision to attend before even visiting the school. I have to say that I made a good choice and would make it again if I had to do it over. The school is small, friendly, and has provided me with a strong finance background.
My Career Goals
When I entered the MS Finance program I was considering applying to a PhD program in finance. I felt that this was needed to work in quantitative finance. During the school year I was exposed to many opportunities I didn’t know were available in finance. This was primarily a result of my reaching out to the alumni network and attending lectures given by finance practitioners that frequent Owen (there are plenty). I realized that I wanted to be part of the industry and experience it first hand. Now I plan to return for a PhD after gaining several years experience in the capital markets.
Landing the Job
The main contributing factor to my job offer at Citigroup was the Vanderbilt network. During my first module at Owen, I met with a leader of the Hedge Fund Club, and he suggested that I talk to another 2nd-year MBA student about Yield Book. The student was excited to meet with me and train me on the software. During our meetings, we started talking about what I wanted to do after the MSF program, and I explained my interest in quantitative finance and specific interest in fixed income. He forwarded my resume to Citigroup, where he had interned the previous summer. A few weeks later, the managing director of Yield Book visited Professor Hans Stoll’s derivatives class to talk on interest rate swaps. My new MBA friend asked the MD if he could spend a few minutes with me after class. He agreed. This meeting later turned into an offer.
What I’ll Be Doing
My job with Citigroup’s Yield Book group is exactly what I was looking for. I will be supporting traders and portfolio managers with their daily fixed income analytics. This includes scenario analysis, return attribution, butterfly trades, OAS calculations, and portfolio optimization. We support everything from munis to MBS to credit derivatives. This position will provide me with a vast knowledge of the fixed income market and allows me the opportunity to specialize in a specific field of fixed income (by my choice). The compensation package was competitive for New York City.
The Owen Community
The Owen faculty are all great. They are approachable and very helpful in both coursework and career planning, and they know a lot of people in academia and industry. Several have agreed to help me in the future when I apply for a PhD and even invited me to participate in joint research while I am at Citigroup. My classmates provided a nice support group. In the beginning of the program I was worried about competition among classmates in finding jobs. After we got to know each other, there wasn’t a feeling of competition. Everyone wants each person in the program to succeed in academics and in securing a position after graduation. We helped each other get interviews and prepare for them. I think that many of us will continue to stay connected and help each other out in the future. In closing I just have a few things to say. This school is a wonderful place to learn finance and expand your network. You need to work hard, seek out alums, and participate in the clubs, and you will find your perfect career.
