Pros
First and foremost, over the past year I have gained significant knowledge about the mutual fund industry. Secondary to that are the personal connections I made with peers who share similar interests and have diverse and ambitious goals. The people I have worked with this past year have kept me motivated to work hard and drive toward my goals of career advancement within the industry and of increasing my knowledge of mutual funds. Notably, my position in the accounting and custody part of the bank yields it self to a certain security that I never felt at previous positions at other financial service firms. I can see my contributions almost immediately everyday, which has always been an important component of my ideal occupation. Working closely with our client is also rewarding, as my position requires it, something which I am thankful for given the entry level status of my role. Keeping in frequent communication with our client enables me to hone my skills of being professional, yet personable and helpful to relative strangers, allowing me to build relationships in other cities and with other firms, both of which I feel could be very valuable in the future.
Cons
The compensation is unfortunately low given the costs of living in the metropolitan area of Boston. While the base salary is adequate to live off of, and the addition of overtime makes for a reasonable income, the stress of the job can at times outweigh the financial gains. Generally speaking, with the exclusion of the overtime pay, given the costs of living in the city and subsequent sacrifices required to have any reasonable sum of money left to save at the end of the month, the only value I tend to derive from the position I hold at State Street is the opportunity to acquire knowledge about an industry that interests me.
