I currently work as an analyst at a large Boston-based Mutual Fund Company. I am a consumer analyst who focuses on the US market, specifically household products, personal care and tobacco. I look at stocks and give an opinion to portfolio managers about whether the stock would be bought, sold, or held onto. I also travel about 20-30% of the time to meet companies on their home turf and get a view of local markets.

EDUCATION | I have my MBA, CFA, and a second master's degree in economics. An MBA is really helpful. If you have a bachelor's degree and basic accounting knowledge, you can start at an associate level.

HOW TO GET STARTED | I think coming out o f the right business school helps you the most. But if you don't have that, having the right contacts can help you. But more than anything else, you need to have passion for this industry. It's stressful because it's real money being managed. You have to be the type of person who's willing to learn from the consequences of their mistakes.

MUST HAVE TRAITS | Being smart, intelligent, curious, fast on your feet to make decisions, and flexibly enough to admit and learn from your mistakes, are essential to success. Also, your networking skills should be excellent.

how I got started | The traditional way to become an equity analyst is to get recruited straight out of business school. But I basically broke in by doing different jobs within the finance industry. I worked in marketing and corporate finance, but I always knew I wanted to be an analyst. The question was getting a break. It took a lot of networking. I knew somebody who knew somebody who knew somebody. It was a bit of luck!

why this job?| When I was in business school, I decided that this was the part of the industry I wanted to work in. It came from following what's happening in the markets and seeing the dynamic nature of the industry. I saw a huge opportunity to use my analytical skills.

why I love this job!| I love the constant discovery process and that nothing is the same every moment of the day. Information impacts companies, stock, markets currencies etc and I constantly have to figure out opinion is factoring every new data point. I love the fact that I can make money for investors, who put a huge amount of their trust and faith in us, with their hard earned savings. Plus, I get to meet some fabulous and passionate people who come up in very different ways. It's inspiring.

my typical day| I spend a large chunk of my time reading and analyzing information and data. The data gathering process varies and can be traveling internationally to meet companies and managements, or can be reading through volumes of research and annual reports. I also spend a large amount of time writing and translating my work into actionable ideas which I then communicate to portfolio managers to have impact on the funds.

what they are | The job is hard because its real money and that can make it stressful. Even good investors can be wrong as much as they are right. So it's a constant process of learning from your mistakes and having the discipline not to repeat them. Also, the hours can be tough, especially in the beginning. Even today I usually work 10-12 hour days and travel frequently, which makes it hard to balance a family. The hours can be tough at times, in part due to the travel required. Meeting companies on their home turf and getting a view of local markets is an important part of the research process and this can be tough to balance with family life. But the fact that I get a differentiated perspective of the end markets and get to meet very interesting and inspiring people in these journeys makes it well worth the effort.

all about growth | The job pays well when you do well. You make money for the firm and investors and you get well rewarded for it. It is fairly simple to see if I have added value or not, so in that way there is limited ambiguity about one's performance. As the job is one which is so dynamic, it's rare you even have the time to get bored. Many analysts cover a number of sectors to learn different parts of the market and they may end up actually managing money as portfolio managers. Many also decide to be career analysts and can do this for a very long time with out a dull day, ever.

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