IT Professionals / Finance Sector

IT Pro's,
I will be interviewed very soon for an IT position within a global investment company (Finance).
I am trying to do research but have not found much...
Why would an IT professional want to work within the finance sector?
Does anyone have some good reason's...
Many Thanks.
Raj
I will be interviewed very soon for an IT position within a global investment company (Finance).
I am trying to do research but have not found much...
Why would an IT professional want to work within the finance sector?
Does anyone have some good reason's...
Many Thanks.
Raj
Comments
Here are some reasons why someone would want to work in the finance sector:
Financial companies (especially brokerage and investment firms) employ cutting-edge technology - they have to to keep up with market volume and demands. For example, in 1997 I was involved in projects that were developing with Java in support of an operational environement. In 1999 I worked on a project that replaced a legacy electronic data interchange with XML.
Working in financial services can often be a lead-in to more lucrative careers (such as sales of financial services, if you're so inclined)
Some financial services companies have reputations for requiring employees to meet high standards. In the US this includes not only knowledge and experience, but significant background checks (a little less stringent than DoD) and a commitment to integrity. Because of these things, experience with financial services companies (especially if they have strong brand recognition) is one of the best things you can have on your resume. Of course, this could backfire as well (e.g., although not technically in financial services who would want to put "Accountant at Enron" on their resume?)
The finance sector doesn't exist without IT. This can often be seen in the salaries of IT people in the financial industry, but all companies differ in this area. You will know that the work that you do contributes to a result that is important to the company and its customers. Either that, or the work that you're doing won't be around very long!
Some reasons why you might not want to work in the finance sector include:
Politics - All organizations are political, but some of the nastiest politics I have witnessed and participated in have been in financial services companies. Oddly, my experience outside of financial services has been much less dramatic. In financial services, I have been involved in roles where my job was much more about being a politician than doing anything technical.
IT in financial services companies is almost always a cost center. IT doesn't generate a profit and therefore holds less status than parts of the organization that do generate money. IT budgets are often the first place to take cuts in financial services companies.
Potential for Impact due to Mistakes - Because you are often dealing directly with systems that detail different aspects of assets, the potential impact of mistakes can be overwhelming. I knew a guy once in the mid-1990's who made a simple mistake in a one line command in his IT job at a large financial services company. That mistake resulted in incorrect mutual fund prices being delivered to trust houses, and ultimately reported to news organizations. The ultimate result of that mistake was that it cost the company ~$120 million. This amount included fines and other direct costs and some indirect costs, and is not an exaggeration. This error was ultimately reported in the Wall Street Journal. Sadly, this is not the only such costly error that I have witnessed....some people do not want that kind of stress in their lives.
These are the things that come to mind right now...
MS
Much appreciated!
I was talking to him last year when i visited NYC and he told me they werent specially well paid. He told me about a few salaries that makes me think that one of the best reasons to get into one of those companies' IT team is the great salaries/rewards.