From Army Captain to Asset Management at J.P. Morgan

As I began the process of transition out of the Army in 2018 I considered a huge array of roles that I believed my personal and professional skills would be suited to, and - most importantly - that I believed I would enjoy. Many of these ideas are probably too embarrassing to admit now, however the process of elimination was possible because of the wealth of resources available to all service leavers. The Career Transition Partnership was the most prominent of these and the first point of call for me on D-364. Once registered, I was able to access a wealth of CTP resources; from the employment bulletins, access to workshops and networking and insight events. The corporate world was something I had never really been exposed to and my understanding of the opportunities and roles available to me was limited. Using the events page on CTP I registered for all the insight events that I could possibly justify and started a voyage of discovery into the corporate world. 

After close to 15 insight events, 50+ networking coffees and 8 months I had finally nailed down what I thought I wanted to do. Well, at least in regards to the industry sector and sub-sector, which was certainly more of a challenge than I initially assumed. In November 2018 I began the process of interviews and selection for four different military transition programmes in finance; hoping to be offered a role in asset or wealth management (investment management for corporates or private individuals). All of the programmes offered successful candidates paid internships starting in January/February 2019. A few weeks later, and thankfully before Christmas, I accepted a role on an institutional sales team at J.P. Morgan Asset Management. 

I am currently three months into the six month programme and hoping to secure a permanent role on a sales team. In this very short amount of time the learning curve has been almost vertical, but I have absolutely relished the opportunities it has presented. On leaving the Army I was yearning for the opportunity to be intellectually challenged and work alongside high achieving individuals, I’ve had the chance to do both. Not only has the role provided me with the chance to refine what I want to do and build a network within the firm; but it has also given the opportunity to learn a great deal about the industry in a way that has suited me better than academic studies. 

There are a wealth of opportunities to be harnessed whatever your motivations and desires are for leaving the military.

The next J.P. Morgan military insight events will be held in London on 11 September and in Bournemouth on 18 September. Registration is via the CTP website, which is quick and easy to complete. Keep an eye out for the details – it would be great to see you there.