Classes that mattered the most from college?

As a senior physics major gearing up for a role in fundamental equities at a boutique LO post-graduation, I'm reflecting on how to maximize the value of my last semester. With a physics background, I've always believed that I could learn the necessary finance concepts on the job. However, I'm contemplating whether a dedicated course in investment management or economics might be beneficial.

I'm torn between sticking with taking more physics courses or branching out into finance-related subjects. I’d love to hear from you all – are there any courses you took (or wish you had taken) during your college years that you feel have significantly contributed to your development as an investor or thinker? I'm open to suggestions outside these areas as well.

11 Comments
 

If your school has a student led investment fund I would recommend that. My school’s has helped me a lot by forcing me to frequently pitch stocks and watch stock pitches around 3x a week. It also just helps you pay better attention to what is going on in the markets.

 

In general, any class that helps you learn how to write and communicate better. It's unbelievable how many people can't write an email and get their point across succinctly, professionally, and in a proper tone. Also, any class that teaches you persuasion - primarily written persuasion. Life is all about communicating and persuading. You can only get so far in life if you can't communicate and persuade people. What makes it even worse is that you won't always know how much your communication skills are holding you because people aren't always going to tell you that you suck and sound like a fool. It's not the missed opportunities you know about that hurts the most. It's the missed opportunities that you never find out about.

Public speaking is also an important skill to master.

 

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