RobbyHammer

Dating is a way of being together when you don’t have much opportunity to do so in the course of a week. I know my classes are going to absorb a lot of my attention when they begin. My wife is going to feel pushed aside. I would like to give her something to look forward to at the end of her week, something that would differ from week to week. Takes a bit of planning and attention, but I have fun when we get out, too.

I am considering taking a job as a financial analyst. That’s in the government acquisition arena, not in a brokerage. To cultivate my own interest in the wider world of finance, however, I would like to play the market more. My past approach to stock trading was to pick stocks I like as long as they exhibit good fundamentals. Since the recent crash, I’ve resorted to using a service that helps me know when it might be wise to ditch those stocks, at least temporarily. So rather than a fundamentals type, I’ve added a technical component to my investing strategy – Smartstops.com. The idea now is that it might be possible to ride only the up escalators, though it takes a lot of in and out movement. This may not be an option if the bottom falls out soon, as some seers predict. Anyway, the financial analyst job I’m taking is one that many former Wall Streeters envy today.

If I wanted to parlay my new financial experience into a stock trading career, here is what they look for in hiring financial analysts:

Conduct quantitative analyses of information affecting investment programs of public or private institutions.

Knowledge

Economics and Accounting – Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

English Language – Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Mathematics – Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Computers and Electronics – Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Law and Government – Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Administration and Management – Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Customer and Personal Service – Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Red teams are the guys who know the enemy inside-out and can simulate them in a wargaming scenario. It also can open up long-term career opportunities, a point that I was unaware of until finding this fascinating blog .