Deciding Between Offers - Please Offer Advice!

For the more senior people on WSO,

Would you rather take a full-time offer w/ the Finance Division at an Investment Bank (Barclays/Deutsche/UBS level)

or

a Electric Trading Analyst gig at Hess/ExxonMobil/BP

assuming that I may want to eventually move into some sort of trading...just gauging the crowd...it's name + risky exit opps vs. no name and transferable skills.

if I pick trading...how difficult is it to switch to a different industry. how are the transferable skills w/in this kind of industry? Thanks in advance and your opinion is greatly appreciated.

Note: I know i already posted in Get a Job, but I figure I'd ask the traders straight up...sorry!

7 Comments
 

I'm just a student like you, but if I were in your shoes I would go with the job first and the name second. Pick trading analyst at hess/exon/mobil/bp.

There's always business school if you change your mind and want to change industries.

 

I would also go w/ the trading analyst position there is a lot of opportunity in scripting, strategy implementation, etc., and i think the experience you'll get there will be worth a lot more than the name of a bank if you're in Treasury/Finance.

Just my 2 cents though. Good luck and congrats!

 

It's not EXACTLY trading yet...any thoughts? Looking for more insight from the senior WSO-ers.

Thanks

The ideal candidate for our Energy Marketing business will support traders and marketers on the wholesale electric desk with transaction valuation and market analysis. Provide electric trading desk with transmission and congestion related analysis. Develop models to value and price electricity derivatives and other structured products. Recommend hedging strategies. Analyze and advise traders and marketers on the risks associated with proposed transactions. Analyze and monitor market risk of wholesale electric portfolio, and identify positions that pose a significant risk. Analyze and evaluate various transmission paths and assist the trading desk with congestion <span class="keyword_link"><a href="/company/management-strategies" target="_blank">Management Strategies</a></span>. Learn and become proficient in the use of the wholesale electric trading system and in the use of the production costing, transmission and power flow analysis software. Develop expertise in energy markets. Develop an in-depth knowledge of the bulk power system.
 
Best Response

Well of course its not trading YET, its a trading analyst role essentially the same role as an S&T analyst at a bank. It comes down to your interests; if trading (in some capacity whether it be commodities or not) is your end goal, then why steer in a different direction? The traders at the big oil companies are some of the best in the industry so no doubt you will learn a ton. They are well respcted as well as the companies as a whole. It's not a secret to anyone in the industry that they trade and they do it quite well. If you want to switch to another product area and make the move to a bank in the future, I can't imagine you having an easier time doing so by taking the finance route. I may not be a senior member on this board but I've talked to enough people and made enough decisions in the past year to know a thing or two about this topic. Don't let name sway you, because Barclays/DB/ whatever may mean more to you right now, but in terms of energy/trading, the oil company is likely just as good (depending some on which company of course).

 

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