Patrick Harris

Discovering Different Fields of Business

As a freshman with little background knowledge of the financial industry and the potential careers within it, the Institute for Global Investment’s Speaker Series and small group discussions offered me a natural starting point for learning about the fields of finance and investing. Whether it be an introduction to Private Equity, Investment Banking, or Venture Capital, NDIGI offers great, non-intimidating opportunities for underclassmen to learn more about the many different facets of the business world. Moreover, NDIGI regularly partners with other business-oriented clubs and organizations like the Investment Club and Unleashed Social Ventures to facilitate lectures on topics such as Impact Investing and the use of Equity Derivatives; these lectures have exposed me and many other underclassmen to great clubs on campus and niche areas of finance that would be otherwise difficult to learn about on our own.

Discerning Career Interests

Though I entered my freshman year already interested in stock picking and with a desire to learn about business strategy, the NDIGI Speaker Series has allowed me to develop a more nuanced understanding of Buy Side and Sell Side career opportunities. Being able to listen to, learn from and ask questions of Notre Dame alumni who currently work at reputable investment firms has allowed me to approach career fairs and conversations with recruiters with an intimate knowledge of how their companies work. Attending these NDIGI events and talking with the alumni speakers has taught me how to better ask questions to advance my knowledge of and discern my career interests within the field of finance. I know that these skills have allowed me to become more comfortable discussing my career interests, and I look forward to the many mentorship and internship opportunities that NDIGI helps facilitate for its upperclassmen.