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Six Syracuse University graduates discussed their career paths at the virtual Women in Finance panel that the Martin J. Whitman School of Management hosted Tuesday.

The university’s chapter of the TAMID Group and the SU Investment Club hosted the panelists, who spoke about how to be successful as a woman in the finance industry. Two Whitman students, Mary-Katheryn Egger and Andrew Hollander, moderated the panel. 

Women are less likely to pursue careers in finance because of how the jobs are marketed, said Molly Smith, a 2016 graduate of Whitman and the Newhouse School of Public Communications.

“A lot of people go into finance for the pure motivation of making money,” said Smith, who works as a corporate finance reporter for Bloomberg News. “For men, that tends to be a really strong motivating factor.”

Perry Thurston, a graduate of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, said she’d like to see more women put themselves out there for new opportunities. Thurston, who works in recruiting at J.P. Morgan, said she sees men constantly apply for roles they are under-qualified for. 

“We as females need to do that and need to put ourselves out there,” she said. “Maybe I don’t know everything. That is OK, but I will get there.” 

Michele Simons, a 1988 Whitman graduate who works in corporate and investment banks at Wells Fargo, spoke to the importance of finding mentorship, or a “sounding board,” within one’s career journey.

Simons, Thurston and Elizabeth Entrup, a 2014 graduate of Whitman and the College of Arts and Sciences, all spoke about their non-traditional career paths and encouraged students not to worry if their careers change course. 

Simons began by working in public accounting and later transitioned into banking, where she worked in several different departments prior to her current role.

“Everyone has a different path,” she said. “There is no right way to get to where you want to go.”

Thurston transferred from J.P. Morgan’s New York City office to the company’s office in Australia because of her husband’s work, which she referred to as a “lateral move.”

Entrup left Bloomberg to work at Jefferies, where she currently works in institutional equity sales. When she told her parents, who don’t work in finance, that she was leaving Bloomberg, her mom questioned her decision.

“In hindsight, it was probably the best move I’ve made, both personally and professionally,” she said.

Courtney Chapman, who graduated from the Whitman master’s degree program in 2017, never planned to work in finance. She initially wanted to become a medical examiner but later switched her major to economics at Vanderbilt University, where she earned her undergraduate degree.

She later decided to pursue her MBA, and said she tried to think about the future when looking for jobs. She asked herself, “Do I want to be doing this in 10 years?”

Chapman now works in the chief financial officer group at Bank of America.

Simons encouraged students to find roles that challenge them. If applicants know 90% of the job, it is not challenging enough for them, she said.

Entrup also spoke to the importance of networking, especially within the community of SU alumni. Entrup got her first internship at Bloomingdale’s because her mom introduced her to someone wearing an SU shirt in a hotel lobby, who was an executive at the department store company.

“Never underestimate the power of this network,” she said. 

Published on April 27, 2021 at 11:32 pm

Contact Mira: mlberenb@syr.edu