Careers in banking

Black Collegian, Jan 1994 by Chapelle, Tony

Bank president Richard Greene stresses that technical courses in computer science are essential.

If you're interested in consumer banking--where you help people open checking and savings accounts and take out residential loans--Spears recommends honing your sales and customer service skills.

If you're more analytical, you may want to work in commercial banking where you'll help businesses develop lines of credit or handle their payrolls. You'll probably train for a year longer, learning how to crunch numbers in financial statements, and processing large loans.

But you could enter the business with any number of other skills. Whiteman of the NAUB took a master's in civil engineering from Columbia, and started his career in that field before switching. Now a vice president at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, he's taken Harvard's famous Advanced Management Program.

Whiteman advises against a banking specialty too early in one's education. He says that tomorrow's bankers will come from backgrounds as diverse as finance, telecommunications, journalism, engineering, and business administration.

Students can get a leg up on their peers, Whiteman advises, by joining professional organizations on campus. He also recommends that once young bankers have found their first job, they join trade groups such as the NAUB where, guided by club members, they can try out their managing styles in a sort of practical laboratory by working on committees.

The key to success in the banking business, as in most others, is to react to important developments--in Washington, in regional trends, at your own job--to get ahead.

ROLE MODEL PROFILE

EUGENE PICKENS

Vice President, Chase Securities Inc. (Subsidiary of The Chase Manhattan Corporation) New York, New York

As a member of Chase's investment banking operation, Eugene Pickens' primary responsibilities are to originate and structure short-term public debt transactions. Since joining Chase in 1970 in the Global Credit Training Program, Pickens has held several positions, including senior client executive in the manufacturing component of North America Corporate Finance, general manager of Chase Bank International in Chicago, and client executive in the capital goods component. He also worked in the corporate banking department covering major Fortune 500 companies.

Pickens received an MBA in corporate finance from New York University and a BS in business administration from Tennessee State University. His advice to students: "Work as hard as you can to build a solid foundation while you are in school. Once you enter the workforce, it is important to continue learning and to be open to new ideas so that you can go as far as your abilities will take you."

Tony Chapelle is a freelance journalist in New York City.