Although the current economic situation may have caused employment uncertainty in some sectors, students should not be deterred from pursuing their dream job in finance. Rosalind Hoffa, director of the career center at Amherst, told the university's newspaper that the current crisis is only a short-term blip and those who are dedicated to finding a job should have little problem. "What I have found over time is that when there is a downturn in the economy … there is very little change in where students go and how [they] find their positions," Ms Hoffa said. She advised would-be finance workers to be proactive and use any and all of their connections to find a position at a firm. Many students who secured internships at a company have been able to keep working for that organization, she added. Meanwhile, professor of economics Daniel Barbezat stressed that the job market is unpredictable and that people should look at finance as a long-term career option and not base their decisions on current trends. Department of Labor statistics from 2006 reveal that financial advisers held around 176,000 jobs. Some 30% were self-employed, while the rest worked in banks, brokerages and investment firms.  |