Profile: Megan, Investment Banking Division

The following article was written by Megan, a team assistant in our Investment Banking Division in London, who talks about her path to joining the firm after having completed an apprenticeship at Goldman Sachs.

Prior to joining Goldman Sachs I studied for my A Levels whilst working part-time for a market research company.

I had always thought my next step after leaving full-time education would be to pursue university but due to illness, unfortunately this was not the case. After recovering I began working at a small start-up company as an administration assistant and shortly afterwards, I was promoted to office manager. Although I enjoyed the work, I felt my future prospects were somewhat limited and that pushed me to explore other options.

It was then that I came across the apprenticeship programme with Goldman Sachs. I was pleasantly surprised that an opportunity like this was available and it was only then that I realised the diversity of opportunities to join the firm. Although I had a different background to many people within Goldman Sachs, I found that having determination, a keen interest to learn and a drive to constantly want to develop myself was a highly valued trait here and Goldman Sachs encouraged and nurtured this.

I joined as float Team Assistant in the Investment Banking Division – this meant I covered teams when the regular Team Assistant was out of the office. On Monday-Thursday I was in the office, learning the ins and outs of the role. On Fridays I attended college where I worked towards gaining a Business and Administration qualification.

The support I received from my buddies (the people tasked to provide the majority of my training and help me settle within the firm) was exceptional. I could reach out to them with questions and ask for advice at any moment and they were always more than happy to help. My mentor, a Managing Director at the firm, provided me with career advice and discussed with me some of the previous deals he had worked on and current financial news articles in order to increase my understanding of the firm and industry.

Taking this route meant I attained an academic qualification whilst gaining industry work experience. By the end of the apprenticeship, I was able to support two different teams in the Investment Banking Division on a full-time basis with ease and confidence. I feel like I have really developed as a person and this has been noted by not only the people I worked with, but also by my friends and family.