The Rewards of Being a Financial Advisor: A Look at Morgan Stanley's Financial Advisor Associate Programs
Advice from Program Graduate, Violetta Zharov
What's the first thing that pops in your head when someone says they work in financial services? Maybe markets? Numbers⌠spreadsheets? Certainly not helping people, right? In reality, though, a drive and desire to put clients first is what makes for a great financial advisor.
For Violetta Zharov, it's also what made her decide to complete Morgan Stanley's rigorous two-year Wealth Advisor Associate and three-year Financial Advisor Associate programs. "What made me decide to join...was really the ability to be able to do those two things together... [To marry financial services] with working with people." She says this genuine desire to help people has also helped her win her clients' trust, "I think your clients know when you're in it for the right reasons."
Now a financial advisor, Violetta advises individuals on all aspects of their wealth, "from investments to tax and retirement planning, trust and estate strategies, insurance, etcetera."
Succeeding as a financial advisor requires a lot more than just knowing your way around a financial plan or a spreadsheet. You have to be a salesperson, analyst, customer service rep, and strategist all at once.
This level of responsibility might scare some people away, but that's just another reason Violetta joined the program and loves the work she does. Although building a book of clients as a new financial advisor is incredibly difficult, it's a challenge she finds rewarding.
You get to work independently and own your successes, while also having the support and resources of a huge corporation like Morgan Stanley behind you - so in a way, you get to experience the best of both worlds. In Violetta's words, "The program hasn't helped me grow my career. The program has allowed me to have a career."
Although being a financial advisor is inherently challenging, Violetta has found that helping others achieve their goals, all while managing her own schedule, performance, and objectives, has certainly made it worth it. And, if you bring your best each day, "You can count on the resources and support [of your] management team to be successful."
Sound like your kind of challenge? Check out the Wealth Advisor Associate and Financial Advisor Associate programs and apply today!
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Morgan Stanley is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversifying its workforce (M/F/Disability/Vet).
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC.
CRC 2379060 (02/19)
Join Skedulo as we celebrate Pride Month!
Below is an article by Craig Panigris originally published on June 24, 2022. Go to Skedulo's company page on PowerToFly to see their open positions and learn more.Welcome to Pride Month! Throughout June, people from around the world will be coming together to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community and to raise awareness about the importance of diversity and inclusivity.
The origins of Pride Month date back further than many people realise. The inaugural Pride march was held more than 50 years ago in June 1970 to commemorate the Stonewall Uprising on June 28, 1969. Over time, the march has evolved to become a celebration of LGBTQIA+ culture with a variety of events that culminate in a parade in the final weekend of June. Such events have played an important role in shifting social and political attitudes over the years. As someone who identifies as gay, Iâve also seen a big shift in workplace attitudes â particularly in the past 5 years. I spent the better part of my career being acutely aware that I had to hide my sexuality; particularly within the hyper-masculine environments that were common in the tech world. This changed when I joined Skedulo a few years back and saw a genuine desire to embrace and celebrate diversity. It was the polar opposite of what Iâd experienced 20 years ago.
Recently Iâve had the pleasure of working with Skeduloâs Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Program Manager, Silvia Zhang, and realised how much I also have to learn. Even being in the community there is a lot that I donât know, which is why Iâm so excited about the initiatives Skedulo will be running this month.
Stories from Skeduloâs LGBTQIA+ community
There is more to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community than changing your company logo for a month or posting a rainbow flag on social media.
We believe the best way to break down barriers and drive awareness is by empowering people to share their personal stories. This is why we have invited members of our team who identify as LGBTQIA+ to tell their stories, and I can honestly say the insights have been tremendous.
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Partnerships and volunteering
The Bobby Goldsmith Foundation is Australiaâs longest-running HIV charity and exists to support people living with HIV, a disease that has until now, largely targeted the LGBTQIA+ community. In addition to volunteering and social awareness, Skedulo will be sponsoring a number of the Foundationâs health and wellbeing programs which aim to help people with HIV achieve a better quality of life.
Our volunteering efforts will also extend to the Frameline Film Festival: San Franciscoâs longest-running and largest queer film exhibition in the world.
Education creates change
Education is one of the best ways to combat prejudice. We will be running a social campaign in June to encourage greater involvement from the wider business community.
Internally, weâre also raising awareness among our staff through an All-Hands panel discussion where people can talk openly, ask questions, and share their stories.
At the end of June, weâll hold a Pride Parade viewing party in our San Francisco office which will be a colourful celebration of diversity and includes an education session about Pride history.
Diversity leads to success
There will no doubt be opportunities for many people to get involved in Pride month celebrations in their local areas â be it community events, public speaking, education sessions or a festival.
I invite every workplace to develop their own initiatives to facilitate greater discussion and awareness. Iâve now been involved with several progressive companies who not only accept but celebrate diversity, and I can confidently say their culture is well beyond what Iâve seen in others.
There are many studies to prove the widespread benefits that diversity has on culture, engagement, retention and even revenue. For example, a study by Boston Consulting Group looked at 1700 companies across 8 countries and found that greater diversity had a direct effect on the bottom line. Companies with more diverse management teams also achieve 19% higher revenue due to innovation.
For anyone in the LGBTQIA+ community who has struggled to find an accepting workplace, I want to tell you that they do exist. Keep searching for a place that makes you happy and aligns with your values, because it will empower you to become the best version of yourself and you will be supported by the people around you.
Careers in Web Development: Which One's For You?
We all have our favorite websitesâ the ones we frequent, bookmark, and recommend to others. You might even enjoy some website features so much that youâve found yourself wondering why they arenât more popular. Or maybe youâve experienced times where you were frustrated with a website and wished you could add features or even design your own!
If youâve ever found yourself intrigued at the prospect of designing and developing your own websites, then a career as a web developer might be just for you!
As a web developer you would be responsible for coding, designing, optimizing, and maintaining websites. Today, there are over 1.7 billion websites in the world and, in turn, the demand for web developers is on the rise. In order to figure out what kind of web development work best suits you letâs start with an introduction to the three main roles in web development that you can choose from.
The Three Types of Web Development Jobs
Front-End Web Development: The Creative Side
Think of front-end development as the dĂŠcor of a house. The color scheme, furniture, manicured lawns, and overall aesthetic. In terms of a website, front-end development is laser-focused on the appearance of a website and its presentation on different devices. If youâre considering a role in front-end development, itâs important to learn programming languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. These three languages go hand-in-hand. HTML allows you to create user interface elements, CSS helps you with stylistic elements, and JavaScript allows you to incorporate online tools and connect your website to back-end functions.
In addition to programming skills, front-end developers need to be detail oriented, creative, willing to keep up with the latest trends in web development, cyber security conscious, and geared toward user-friendly designs. The median salary for a front-end developer can reach well into the $90,000 to $100,000 range.
Back-End Web Development: The Logical Counterpart
While a house can be beautifully decorated, itâs incomplete without a solid foundation and efficient infrastructure. Similarly, a well-designed website depends on logical and functional code to power the features of that website. Back-end web development is code-heavy and focused on the specifics of how a website works. If you enjoy the analytical challenge of creating the behind-the-scenes code that powers a website, then back-end development is for you.
Since this role is more code-heavy, itâs important that you learn numerous programming languages and understand algorithms and data structures. Some languages that are essential to back-end development are Ruby, Python, SQL, and JavaScript. Back-end developers also ensure that users can successfully retrieve and access data. This requires creating and using APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) which act as messengers that relay data related requests. Additionally, developing the code for the inner workings of a website also requires back-end developers to be conscious of the user interface features designed by front-end developers and to internally mitigate potential security risks. Due to the increased technical aspect of this position, back-end developers normally earn higher salaries than front-end developers. The average median salary for this role is around $118,000 per year.
Full-Stack Web Development: A Little Bit of Everything
A full-stack developer is essentially the Jack (or Jill)-of-all-trades in web development. Full-stack developers need to be knowledgeable about both front-end and back-end roles. This does not necessarily imply that you would need to be an expert in both roles, but you should fully understand the different applications and synergies they each imply. In order to work in this position, you will need to know the programming languages used by front-end and back-end developers. In addition to these languages, full-stack developers also specialize in databases, storage, HTTP, REST, and web architecture.
Full-stack developers are often required to act as liaisons between front-end and back-end developers. Full-stack developers need to be both problem solvers and great communicators. The end goal for a full-stack developer is to ensure that the userâs experience is seamless, both on the front-end and on the back-end. In return, you can expect to earn a median salary of $100,000 â $115,000 a year for this role.
Taking the Next Step
Web development is both in-demand and lucrative! All three roles described above contribute to specific aspects of web development and the scope of each one can be customized to the industries and positions you feel best suit you. Regardless of which role you choose, all of them need a foundation in programming.
To gain the programming skills needed in each role, you can enroll in courses or learn independently. Coding bootcamps are a great way to boost your skillset quickly and efficiently.
Click here for some of our highly rated programming bootcamp options! Make sure to check out the discounts available to PowerToFly members.
Want to join the engineering teams at Workiva? Learn more about them!
đWant to know what engineering teams are like at Workiva? Watch the video to the end to find out!
đź Engineering teams at Workiva are constantly hiring. Marie Yue, Senior Engineering Manager at the company, tells you what they look for in a candidate and what the dynamics of teamwork are like.
đź The typical path in the engineering teams at Workiva is that you grow into a senior, and then you move into a lead role. From there, there are a few different tracks that you can take depending on your interest. You can become a staff engineer, an architect, or even an engineering manager. What are you waiting for to apply?
đźIn the engineering teams at Workiva every member should feel empowered to do their job effectively. For this, each has to understand how the work they do day to day solves customersâ problems. Managers will always seek to be aware of membersâ career path aspirations so that they can look for opportunities and projects to help each person reach the next step in their career.
Engineering Teams At Workiva: A Safe Space
Marie Yueâs team is a safe space for people to make mistakes and ask for help, and each member feels a sense of belonging and inclusion. She wants to make sure that everyone is individually empowered to lead and make decisions. For this, the team has regular meetings where they do fun things like play virtual games or eat lunch together, and they also like to re-review and add to their team working agreement once a quarter.
đ§đź Are you interested in joining Workiva? They have open positions! To learn more, click here.
Get to Know Marie Yue
If you are interested in a career at Workiva, you can connect with Marie Yue on LinkedIn. Donât forget to mention this video!
More About Workiva
Workiva was founded to transform the way people manage and report business data with various collaborators, data sources, documents, and spreadsheets. Today, people all over the world use their platform to seamlessly orchestrate data among their systems and applications for transparent and trusted connected reporting and compliance. At Workiva, they are innovative in everything they doâfrom how they build their software, to how they serve their customers, to how they treat their employees.
Clydeâs Joseph Arquillo on the 6 Things Leaders Need to Do to Build Inclusive Spaces
Joseph Arquillo doesnât work in Human Resources â he works in People Operations. And the distinction matters.
âIt was named âhuman resourcesâ because it saw humans as resources, utilized for certain tasks or behaviors. But thatâs not really what itâs about,â says Joseph, who is a Senior Manager of People Ops at Clyde.
âCalling it âpeople opsâ adds back what you lose with âHR.â My philosophy is that I am there to support you. I am there to work with you, empower you, and enable you so you can be your best self.â
For Joseph, a key element of helping employees become their best selves is making sure that the workplace, whether in-person or virtual, is an inclusive space for all. That doesnât happen by accident â it requires a dedicated DEIB strategy and leaders who are committed to asking hard questions of themselves and others.
We sat down with Joseph to hear more about his professional journey, and the practices of leaders who create environments where everyone feels included.
More Than Just a Number
As a college freshman, Joseph planned on sticking with liberal arts when it came to choosing a major. But then he took a class in Boston Collegeâs School of Education, and loved its holistic approach to applied psychology.
This inspired him to switch his major to psychology and human development, and select minors in political science, and management and leadership, where he enjoyed learning about organizational psychology.
After graduation, he explored the consulting space to put theory into practice, but found out during an internship at a multinational consulting firm that finance or accounting werenât the places he wanted to build his career.
âSince Big Four companies have 250,000 employees, you become just a number,â he says of the experience. âIt wasnât my cup of tea. Too corporatized.â
That kicked off Josephâs interest in startups.
âItâs always fun to get in the weeds! One thing thatâs very interesting to me is a challenge,â he says. âWhen youâre helping a company like Clyde grow and scale, joining when theyâre at a Series B and helping them get to the next level, you really get to focus on the interaction between people, process, and product,â explains Joseph. âYou need to hire the right people to work towards increasing efficiencies in all areas, but also make sure that weâre enabling them to create a strong product.â
6 Keys To Building Inclusive Spaces as a Leader
Across the different industries and companies that Joseph has worked in, heâs identified the behaviors that create truly inclusive environments â as well as those that discourage them.
Hereâs what heâs seen:
- First, recognize your own privilege. âIf youâre a man, you have privilege, even if youâre a gay male. If you are a white woman, you have racial privilege. Itâs really important that youâre cognizant while you interact with somebody how they might interpret the interaction based on your identity.â
- Leaders should always speak last. This is important always, but especially in in-person spaces, where it might seem even more nerve-wracking to speak up in a crowd, says Joseph. âYou want to make sure youâre creating that space for employees who arenât as senior to feel comfortable voicing their thoughts.â
- And, leaders should use check-ins liberally. âYou need to ask yourself how youâre supporting your employees. Are you checking in on them as people before you ask about certain tasks? You want to foster a workplace where employees from all walks of life can feel supported,â he says.
- DEIB isnât just about adding new initiatives â sometimes itâs about removing barriers. âYou need to remove unnecessary bias,â explains Joseph. âThat can mean making sure you have appropriate policies and practices that donât hinder people depending on who they are or where they live.â
- Maximizing participation requires planning with a diversity lens. Joseph has helped the Clyde team gather together and bond as a group. Along the way, heâs been careful to consider physical and psychological safety for everyone involved. âFor instance, if youâre doing an event, do you have someone whoâs not drinking? Have you set up the environment for people who might have a physical disability, or carefully planned the flow of activities for people who might be neurodivergent?â
- Saying you want to be better isnât enough â articulate actions you will take. âPride is a great example,â explains Joseph. âYes, June is a time to celebrate. But itâs also a time to march. And beyond that, how do you show up and celebrate with the LGBTQIA+ community throughout the year?â
Embracing the Unknown
If you visit Josephâs LinkedIn profile, youâll see his personal motto: âWithout challenge, change, and a bunch of unknowns, itâs no fun.â
That belief has led him to study what heâs passionate about, to take on new and exciting roles at growing startups, and now, at Clyde, to help formalize what world-class people operations looks like at a fast-growing company.
âI view myself as a connector that really empowers people, challenges teams, and helps drive us towards what I consider to be an improved future,â he says. âI feel like itâs my responsibility to be the chief advocate for each of our employees, and remove any barriers in the way of their growth.â
Want to learn more about what opportunities Clyde offers? Check out their open roles!
