 | Liang Wang
Vanderbilt MS Finance Class of 2006
Dean's Award for Academic Excellence in the MSF
KPMG - Senior Associate Advisory
Arlington, VA |
My New Career
My new position is called Senior Associate Advisory in the Structured Finance Group at KPMG’s office in Tyson’s Corner, Virginia. The main function is to check the prospectus of issuers of collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs) to reduce the risk of inaccurate information being disclosed in the offering document, and provide all interested parties with timely feedback on structural matters. The job combines my background in accounting (I have a CPA) and finance.
Structured Finance: An Exciting New Opportunity
At first, I was looking for an analyst position in corporate finance to utilize my knowledge of finance, accounting, and computer science. When a friend who works at KPMG introduced me to the position, I found it very interesting and thought it worth a try. As I prepared for the interview, the position became even more attractive to me. Structured finance is a big market and is definitely worth exploring. In today’s China, people are beginning to obtain mortgages to buy living spaces. China will open its financial market soon, so CMOs will be the next step in the near future. As an international student from China, this job will offer me great development potential. It will give me an opportunity to develop a strong understanding of the mortgage and CMO market. Considering its market share, the potential opportunity in China, and my personal interest, I do want to develop a career in this field.
The Value of the MS Finance Degree
I must say that without the MS Finance degree, I would not have gotten this offer. From the MS Finance program, I not only learned solid finance knowledge, but also gained a new understanding of the finance field through communicating with faculty and students. I really liked the short, concentrated curriculum of the program. I could learn what I wanted and also save time and money. It was definitely a good investment for me.
Strong Support from Faculty, Classmates, and Administration
Owen is a fabulous community; the faculty here offer high-quality, practical courses and give valuable career advice. But my classmates are the ones that I miss most. Because the size of the program is small, I feel that we are all closely bonded. People sincerely support and help each other in daily study, life, and job search -- such a good memory shall last a lifetime. Finally, I want to say that we have two wonderful directors under this program. I received valuable academic advice from Professor Ball, the program director. Amy, the administrative director, helped me daily with my job search and other daily issues; I owe special thanks to both of them.
