Tell us about your placement?

During my placement at Morgan Stanley, I was based in Canary Wharf working on the European Equities trade floor in the Prime Brokerage department. As part of the Product Development team, we were responsible for both managing any changes to the industry impacting the company or our clients, and simultaneously working to improve the experiences of long-term clients.  

My role within the team evolved as the year progressed, from acting as the central coordinator of our 160-person Technology Fleet and tracking client usage of our latest technology offerings, to eventually leading my own projects for our London-based clients. 

 

Which areas of your placement did you find most rewarding?  

The opportunity to lead my own projects at a firm like Morgan Stanley was the highlight of my placement as it shows the trust that my team had in me to give so much responsibility as a student. This allowed me to innovate and think of new ways to tackle problems.

 

Did you encounter any challenges? 

The high intensity and long hours in an investment bank was a shock to my system.  

Thankfully, many of my colleagues in my department started up as placement students who were able to empathise and share advice on how best to deal with this, reassuring me that they mostly felt in the same position when they first joined and were able to overcome it and thrive. 

 

How has placement helped to shape your future career aspirations? 

My placement year has been crucial in my professional development. The massive variety in Morgan Stanley's business model allowed me to explore areas I did not even know existed. By networking with colleagues in different departments, I was able to find a department I felt passionate about. 

Before my placement year, choosing my career would have been a shot in the dark.  

 

What advice would you give to a future student starting their placement? 

My advice to future students taking on placement is to ensure you are adding as much value as you can to your team by voicing any ideas and opinions that you may have. Make sure to take initiative and find other projects you can get involved in or take ownership of. 

 

Find out more :

• Securing a placement   
• Queries about placement   
• Are you a business looking to hire a placement student?  

Zachariah Al-Qaryooti

BSc Finance student

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