Investment banker

Careers and Colleges, Jan-Feb, 2005

NAME: Charles Platz

JOB: Investment Banker

WHERE: New York City

SCHOOL: Quinnipiac University Class of 1999

At 27 years old, Charles Platz is in the enviable position of being able to retire in the next couple years, if he so chooses, and never have to work again.

Platz, an investment banker, who graduated from Quinnipiac University just five years ago, has been enormously successful in the New York financial consulting field.

"With clients around the world, I work around the clock," says the personable Platz, adding that he hasn't had a vacation in years, although he loves to travel.

"I've been an entrepreneur, and I know what it is like to invest everything, both time and resources, into your endeavors," he says.

Platz's career has followed the path of a rocket ship. He is now a senior managing partner at an international investment banking firm.

EDUCATION MAKES A DIFFERENCE

A native of Waterford, Connecticut, Platz was a senior in high school when his girlfriend wanted to visit Quinnipiac, and, eager to take a day off from school, he joined her.

"I stood under the dome at the School of Business, looked out over the quad, and it felt like home," he says. "I left with an application."

Platz says that he uses what he learned from his professors almost daily, and his ultimate goal is one day to become a business professor.

As an active member of his alma mater, he recently spoke with the National Business Honor Society at Quinnipiac and said that he believes there are three keys to success:

"The first is communication, which is the ultimate form of power. The second is confidence, both in yourself and your presentation. The third key to success is being able to take a calculated risk. You have to know when to gamble on a high-risk/high-reward opportunity."

All these are skills he learned as an undergraduate international business major at Quinnipiac, where students can earn a combined bachelor's degree and master's in business administration in just five years.

"The most valuable experiences I had at Quinnipiac were making presentations in class," Platz says, explaining that the ability to speak with confidence in front of an audience gives him an edge.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT 06518 Check the Web site for details: www.quinnipiac.edu