As a graduating senior from the financial planning program at the college of ACES, I have had a lot of career opportunities offered by the program over the years. Around this time of December, before the semester ends, we always have a Financial Planning Day tailored to students who are looking for job opportunities in the financial planning industry. This year, I had the chance to attend Financial Planning Day at Lodgic Everyday Community, and it was an unforgettable experience.

There are three major components of the day for this year. The day started with an interview clinic that took place at the ACES library. The clinic is designed to help students prepare for interviews. A panel of professionals came by and gave out job interview tips and advice. Jim Moron, Jean Drascow, Jill Shachter, and our favorite professor, Paul Stoddard, were all in the panel to give students the best advice.

After getting prepped by our amazing panelists in the morning, students were ready to go to the most important part of the day– the actual speed interviews with attending firms. Before the day came, everyone was able to get access to a google sheet and sign up for interview slots with their preferred firms. Students were also provided a list of the firms that were coming so they could research the firms beforehand. The interviews started at 1 pm, and as a student assistant to the event, our firms and students kept me busy.

Everyone walked in with confidence and the hope to find a good fit. The interviews were organized well, and everyone was pumped and excited for their interviews. I saw a lot of happy and confident faces walking out of interviews, and I truly enjoyed seeing our students being proactive in seeking for internship or job opportunities. Another highlight of the interview was that I met a lot of familiar faces from our program who came to the Financial Planning Day with their firm this year. Our students are the best at coming back to visit and giving back to the program, and this warms me up every time.

Finally, the day ended with a banquet. Not only did students have a wonderful dinner with the firm partners, they were also inspired by the motivational and inspiring speeches and talks. One of the many reasons I chose financial planning was because of the support I have received from all of the professionals I have met in the industry. With the major age and gender imbalance of financial planners in today’s financial planning industry, we, as rising financial planners of the future, are greatly encouraged and supported. In addition to the speeches, Sheila Krein and other fellow faculty members as well as financial planners were generously giving out the scholarship to support the underrepresented students of the field. I was lucky enough to be one of the scholarship recipients.

In the end, Financial Planning Day has brought me so many precious memories and opportunities that have greatly helped me to prepare to become a future planner. I have gotten so much more out of the financial planning program. Not only did I find my passion for a future career, but I have also become part of the supportive community at ACES.