My Story: Thomas Wida

Hey, there! I’m Thomas S Wida.

I’m an Investment Banking Analyst from the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, USA.

Currently, I work at an investment bank called ECHELON Partners in Manhattan Beach, California.

I’ve got a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Financial Management Services from San Francisco State
University.

After that, I went on to get my Master’s degree in Finance and Financial Management from
Saint Mary’s College of California and I’m currently pre-MBA.

Unfortunately, I missed out on jumping into a career in investment banking through the traditional
recruitment path. Plus, I come from a non-target university, and this made my chances even slimmer.

That’s exactly why I enrolled in the Corporate Finance Institute® (CFI). I got my Certified Financial
Valuation and Modeling Analyst (FMVA®) certification.

I’m also a CFA Level II with the CFA Institute.I knew I had to do everything in my power to stand out. I had to create the path to my dreams.

I put in the time and effort to build the skills, qualifications and knowledge I needed for the jobs that I wanted.

I continue to prioritize learning and growth today, and I will make sure it’s something I always do in the future too. Today’s competitive job market is only just the beginning.

Constant growth and learning is going to be a part of every career and professional journey.