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A Day in the Life of...
Melissa Goldman
B. S. Applied Mathematics/Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon
Managing Director, Technology Division
1. What is your job title? Briefly, what are your roles and
responsibilities?
My title is Managing Director. I am responsible for managing an application development area where we create systems that assist the firm in appropriately managing the counterparty risk and collateral management processes. Most of the development is done in java; however some of the financial modeling is done in proprietary languages built here at the firm.
2. What is the work environment like (hours, life outside of work,
colleagues, …)?
One of the things I like most about my job is the people I work with. They are extremely talented individuals and given the collaborative environment we work in, there are many opportunities to learn and grow through working with these people.
Similar to the financial markets, I find my job somewhat cyclical. There are periods where the intensity ramps up and other points where I can catch my breath. Regardless of where we are in the cycle, the challenges keep coming to do things faster, more efficiently and better than our competitors.
3. Why did you choose to work at this company?
I started working in the consulting business and really enjoyed the idea of working on different projects and learning over a variety of projects. As a consultant, I found myself staffed at Goldman Sachs and quickly discovered that I could achieve that as a full time Goldman Sachs employee and get many of the other features not offered at my consulting firm (less travel, more investment in personal development and training, etc). One specific feature available at Goldman Sachs is the amazing opportunities I get to continue to build my skill set and learn new things through the training classes available to me. I can grow my technical skills and advance my business knowledge through Goldman Sachs University and the firm is extremely supportive of taking advantage of these opportunities to better ourselves.
4. Did you have any prior experience (including internships/co-ops) in the
field?
I had spent time at a small software development firm which was a terrific experience. I really enjoyed the small-firm feel. It has been good to find that although Goldman Sachs is a large institution, many aspects of that small-firm feel are very prevalent in the organization. I also feel that my academic experience was very helpful in a firm like Goldman Sachs. There were school projects where I could follow through on my independent thoughts and ideas and learn through that, while others required the power of the team to come up with the best approach. Many of the lessons I learned at college prepared me for the challenges I face in my professional work environment.
5. Do you have any career advice for university students to help them
better succeed?
I think there are 2 important pieces of advice of students pursuing careers in technology:
1- I think at different points in your career, your focus and goals will change. If you get too far ahead of yourself in terms of planning 10 years out, you'll find those plans quickly become stale. Although it is always important to manage your career and communicate your ambitions, you need to be careful not to get too far ahead of yourself. Focus on the next 2 years forward instead.
2- Keep an open mind - explore different industries where you’ll be able to use your technical skills. Many students don’t realize how critical technology is in financial services industry. Often our new hires and summer interns are amazed at the kind of robust and challenging career that awaits them at a firm like Goldman Sachs. Here we use technology to solve complex business issues and do it in a way that allows us to be faster, better and more efficient than our competitors.
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