W&L Outcomes: Rob Rosen ’22 Rosen utilized summer internships to help land his current role as an analyst at SVB Securities.

W&L News Office
June 27, 2022

Hometown: Long Valley, New Jersey
Post-Grad Plans: Analyst at SVB Securities in Charlotte, North Carolina
Industry: Banking and Finance
Areas of Study: Accounting, Philosophy

“Utilize any and all resources to seek out opportunities and see what career pathways pique your interest. Do your research and due diligence, and everything will fall right into place.”

Q: What will you be doing after graduation? 

I will be working in investment banking for SVB Securities as an analyst in Charlotte, North Carolina.

 Q: How did your career plans evolve over the course of your time at W&L?

When I first entered W&L, I knew I wanted to seek a career in something business-related. However, I was completely lost as to what that job would actually be. Over my freshman and sophomore years, I learned of the number of career paths I could embark on and pondered what would best suit my interests and aptitudes. After spending a lot of time researching careers and speaking with friends, family, teammates and career advisors – I settled into investment banking and found myself where I am today.

Q: What internships or other summer experiences did you partake in and how did those experiences shape you and your career plans?

The summer between my freshman and sophomore year, I interned with Celgene Corporation in their treasury and investor relations department. The following summer, I worked in an Amazon warehouse. Finally, I worked at SVB Leerink (former name for SVB Securities) as a summer analyst in their Charlotte office, to which I will be returning. My first experience at Celgene provided me with a lot of exposure and insight into finance at the corporate level. It helped affirm to me that a business path was something I coveted. It also sparked an interest in healthcare, aiding my banking job hunt down the road. My experience at the Amazon warehouse was not super impactful other than giving me an aching back from all the thousands of packages I carried and sorted. Lastly, my summer internship at SVB provided me with exposure to a number of live deals and pitches that affirmed my interest in banking and demonstrated what skills would be necessary to be successful in this field.

Q: How did the Office of Career and Professional Development (CPD) support you and which resources did you find most helpful?

I owe a big thanks to Lauren Vance, associate director of Career and Professional Development, for being super helpful in crafting my quick “story” about who I am. She also prepared me for interviews while going through banking recruiting – she was essentially the exclusive resource I utilized and was very helpful in my internship/job search.

Q: What did you study here and what are some skills or learnings you will take from your academic experience into the professional world?

I was an accounting and philosophy double major at W&L. Philosophy afforded me several critical thinking and writing skills that I have found to be very useful in general communication with professionals and stimulating “outside the box” thinking. And, of course, I have developed a robust set of financial analysis skills from the accounting major that will prove helpful in the analytical elements of my work.

Q: Who or what has inspired you along the way?

The Office of Career and Professional Development, friends, alumni from my fraternity and former wrestling teammates inspired me along the way.

Q: Did you connect with alumni during your career development process?

Yes – I connected with a large number of alumni.

 Q: What career-related advice would you give to next year’s graduating class? 

I would implore next year’s graduating class always to be mindful of and receptive to new opportunities being made available to W&L students in the professional world. Utilize any and all resources to seek out these opportunities and see what career pathways pique your interest. Do your research and due diligence, and everything will fall right into place.

Read more about other W&L Outcomes here.

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