[Anonymous]

Hi,

Thought I'd share my experience about my life.

I completed my A-levels in June 2010 and achieve AAAc in traditional subjects respectively. Then from September 2010 I attended University of Leeds to read Law, though found the subject quite a bore. This led to me finding distractions which included: excessive partying, drugs, gambling etc..I lost about £7k that year just to gambling. I hardly attended lectures or did my readings and ended just scrapping a 2:2. I knew I didn't enjoy Law and left the University with a qualification for completing the first year.

Once I left in June 2011, I enjoyed the summer and luckily found a job for a local accountants as an assistant for about £16K in Leeds in September 2011. Now it has been about 10months and I'm 20 and I've managed to find a job as a trainee stockbroker for a mid-sized firm in Leeds that has three offices in the UK. They are sponsoring me to take professional qualifications which shall lead to FSA approval and offered me a salary close to £28K.

This time next year would have been the time when I would have graduated and I am 100% sure I would have achieved 3rd or 2:2 in Law. Then I would have probably ended up in role with a salary around £19-24k, if lucky.

Thought I'd share my experience that you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it, we all make mistakes in life.

[Lucia.]

Thanks. It was inspiring to read that. Life can take a path which is different to what you expected, and your strong A- Level results show that even the brainiest of the bunch can make mistakes. Life isn't easy and people are more than just a string of letters and numbers on a piece of paper!

[dgeorge]

Congrats. Glad that you've managed to turn things around!

[fuzznbass]

Not bad getting a job as a stock broker

[Dark Horse]

(Original post by Anonymous)
Hi,

Thought I'd share my experience about my life.

I completed my A-levels in June 2010 and achieve AAAc in traditional subjects respectively. Then from September 2010 I attended University of Leeds to read Law, though found the subject quite a bore. This led to me finding distractions which included: excessive partying, drugs, gambling etc..I lost about £7k that year just to gambling. I hardly attended lectures or did my readings and ended just scrapping a 2:2. I knew I didn't enjoy Law and left the University with a qualification for completing the first year.

Once I left in June 2011, I enjoyed the summer and luckily found a job for a local accountants as an assistant for about £16K in Leeds in September 2011. Now it has been about 10months and I'm 20 and I've managed to find a job as a trainee stockbroker for a mid-sized firm in Leeds that has three offices in the UK. They are sponsoring me to take professional qualifications which shall lead to FSA approval and offered me a salary close to £28K.

This time next year would have been the time when I would have graduated and I am 100% sure I would have achieved 3rd or 2:2 in Law. Then I would have probably ended up in role with a salary around £19-24k, if lucky.

Thought I'd share my experience that you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it, we all make mistakes in life.

I'm not trying to piss on your parade or anything but how come that is all you get? Surely your wages rise quickly?

I mean I'm on 30k a year for working less than half the year and all I do is brush and shovel iron ore, and this is in the North East.

Although well done on kicking the drugs/gambling habits.

[hiding12]

(Original post by Anonymous)
Hi,

Thought I'd share my experience about my life.

I completed my A-levels in June 2010 and achieve AAAc in traditional subjects respectively. Then from September 2010 I attended University of Leeds to read Law, though found the subject quite a bore. This led to me finding distractions which included: excessive partying, drugs, gambling etc..I lost about £7k that year just to gambling. I hardly attended lectures or did my readings and ended just scrapping a 2:2. I knew I didn't enjoy Law and left the University with a qualification for completing the first year.

Once I left in June 2011, I enjoyed the summer and luckily found a job for a local accountants as an assistant for about £16K in Leeds in September 2011. Now it has been about 10months and I'm 20 and I've managed to find a job as a trainee stockbroker for a mid-sized firm in Leeds that has three offices in the UK. They are sponsoring me to take professional qualifications which shall lead to FSA approval and offered me a salary close to £28K.

This time next year would have been the time when I would have graduated and I am 100% sure I would have achieved 3rd or 2:2 in Law. Then I would have probably ended up in role with a salary around £19-24k, if lucky.

Thought I'd share my experience that you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it, we all make mistakes in life.

cheers for that, congrats, p.s how did you find a job as a trainee stock broker? I did my CISI exams and couldn't get a position in it. The trainee positions are sooo competitive and always seemt o specify considerable sales experience.

[heyy1]

Hi, This is such an inspiration story...What did you gamble in? Please can you inbox me I share similair experiences!!

[geetar]

Good job.

[DotComBoom]

Nice to read a positive thread for once!

[Anonymous]

(Original post by hiding12)
cheers for that, congrats, p.s how did you find a job as a trainee stock broker? I did my CISI exams and couldn't get a position in it. The trainee positions are sooo competitive and always seemt o specify considerable sales experience.

What CISI exams did you do? I start my new job in a couple of weeks, it's mainly more execution-only trading and then advisory and investment research to private clients/fund managers..I hope to go into investment management.

[Anonymous]

(Original post by heyy1)
Hi, This is such an inspiration story...What did you gamble in? Please can you inbox me I share similair experiences!!

Roulette.

[Alpharius]

Cool story, bro.

Spoiler:

Show

Seriously though, well done. It's hard to kick an addiction.

[hiding12]

(Original post by Anonymous)
What CISI exams did you do? I start my new job in a couple of weeks, it's mainly more execution-only trading and then advisory and investment research to private clients/fund managers..I hope to go into investment management.

I did Securities and Regulations. Investment management is a good area to get into if you can. Is that for a company up in London?

[Anonymous]

(Original post by hiding12)
I did Securities and Regulations. Investment management is a good area to get into if you can. Is that for a company up in London?

I see, and the firm is in Leeds so they mainly look after investments for clients/institutions in the North, though also have a office in London. Though I suppose close to £28k in Leeds is about £40k in London when adjusted..

Have you looked into finding work?

[hiding12]

(Original post by Anonymous)
I see, and the firm is in Leeds so they mainly look after investments for clients/institutions in the North, though also have a office in London. Though I suppose close to £28k in Leeds is about £40k in London when adjusted..

Have you looked into finding work?

oh yeah, I have, thing is I just missed out on a 2.1 in my Economics degree so can't get positions in finance am trying to get into accountancy. I did the exams with a firm who went into liquidation after I passed, they were a recruiter but turned out to be a bit dodgy. I am down in the south in Surrey. Could I ask how exactly you managed to get a trainee stock broker role when most of them require 2.1 degrees? Are you quite 'salesy' as a person?

[Anonymous]

(Original post by hiding12)
oh yeah, I have, thing is I just missed out on a 2.1 in my Economics degree so can't get positions in finance am trying to get into accountancy. I did the exams with a firm who went into liquidation after I passed, they were a recruiter but turned out to be a bit dodgy. I am down in the south in Surrey. Could I ask how exactly you managed to get a trainee stock broker role when most of them require 2.1 degrees? Are you quite 'salesy' as a person?

My role is more as a private client broker. Mainly consists of investment research, advisory, execution-only trading and portfolio/fund monitoring for existing clients and where the firm's interests lie. So not much cold-calling or going out for new clients.

Which university did you attend?

I would suggest you go visit the stockbroker/smaller firms near you in person?

[Flibble22]

Well done on turning your life around!

I've done the same recently - I originally went to university to study Archaeology, and though it was fun my heart wasn't really in it. It's basically a 3 year pissup with little in the way of career prospects.

Now, as I'm very handy with computers I've decided to study Computer Science instead - this will result in me finding a nice programming job with starting salaries around £22k. A damn sight more than working in near minimum wage jobs for the rest of my days.

[Anonymous]

If youre so happy with how you 'turned your life around at 20' and have now got such a well paid job for 28k, why have you posted another thread asking if people think you stupid for not going to uni with AAA results at A leve, as you want to go back and 'smash' a degreel?

[hiding12]

(Original post by Anonymous)
My role is more as a private client broker. Mainly consists of investment research, advisory, execution-only trading and portfolio/fund monitoring for existing clients and where the firm's interests lie. So not much cold-calling or going out for new clients.

Which university did you attend?

I would suggest you go visit the stockbroker/smaller firms near you in person?

Great, thats a better role I think than cold calling etc. Yeah, I did contact as many smaller ones as I could in the area without much luck as they don't tend to get too many positions in. You're obviously an intelligent guy and it sounds like your company recognised it. Both my parents went to Leeds to do Engineering and English, I myself went to UEA. How did you manage to move into that role frmo an accounts position if you don't mind me asking?

[Anonymous]

(Original post by hiding12)
Great, thats a better role I think than cold calling etc. Yeah, I did contact as many smaller ones as I could in the area without much luck as they don't tend to get too many positions in. You're obviously an intelligent guy and it sounds like your company recognised it. Both my parents went to Leeds to do Engineering and English, I myself went to UEA. How did you manage to move into that role frmo an accounts position if you don't mind me asking?

I see, basically the firm is a client of the accountants, so the manager used to come by on a weekly basis and I got talking to him on a regular basis and just went from there..

I'm still waiting to start though, not started yet! Next Monday I start! I suggest you look for alternatives and build up some experience and then aim for it?