#GradStories Lorna Fitzpatrick, Financial Engineer, First Derivative

What does your current role involve

As a financial engineer, I work with traders, front office users and back office users. Currently I’m working on a support team for a Calypso software upgrade project. We are currently in our third release of this upgrade and I am responsible for supporting these upgrades and investigate any issues that arise and propose a workable resolution.

What skills do you need to be successful in your role?

You need to have a strong desire and a willingness to learn, with an inquisitive mindset and an aptitude for problem solving. You also need to have great communication skills because you’re dealing with a lot of different people in different roles.

What do you love about your job?

I love the dynamic and exciting nature of the job. It’s exciting to be a financial engineer and you get to work with great firms and banks, where you really do gain a lot of in depth knowledge that will definitely help inform your career path in the future.

What did you do in college that helps you most in your career?

While studying Business Management at Queen’s University Belfast I had a passion for a large City financial firm, so that was my focus when developing my CV. To give myself as much knowledge and background as possible on this sector. I was fortunate enough to be awarded a place on the Code First programme, which develops you HTML and CSS skills and I was also fortunate enough to get a place on an Enactis programme which brings together students to conceive and develop viable business plans.

What was your career break?

My biggest career break was getting the opportunity to work on a Calypso software project at a major Irish bank. I really am gathering a wealth of knowledge, it’s something I am passionate about and I hope this will help me excel in my career in the future.