What is your job title and where do you currently work?
Currently, I work in two roles, I am employed full time by Capita Contact as a Finance Research Analyst. I also work part-time for Financial Express as an economics writer.
What does your firm/ organisation do?
We do research on currencies and stock markets. With stocks, we will be finding out which ones perform best and are likely to keep doing so. Currency or forex trading involves buying up currency when it has low value and selling when it has gained in value. All of this involves extensive research as there are many factors that can impact stock prices and the value of a currency in a given period.
Tell us a little bit about your career history?
After graduating from college in 2016 I became an economics teacher at a local school and also did voluntary columnar writing for 263Chat a Zimbabwean online news organisation. In 2018 January I moved to Capita Contact where I was employed as a research analyst. In that role I was responsible for interpreting and presenting information related to economics and markets. In June 2018 I applied for a voluntary writing space at Financial Express, commenting on the ZSE (Zimbabwe stock exchange) company results as a freelancer. I was not formally employed by them but they hired me to complete certain tasks. In December of the same year, they offered me a contract on a part-time basis as a writer for them.
Was this always your dream career or it changed somewhere along the line?
Economics was always a dream for me since high school. I admired my friend’s cousin when he went to University just carrying a few books in his backpack and I said I want to be like him. That’s when I was told he was studying economics. I researched the degree and fell in love with it instantly. So yeah it was a dream come true.
How closely does your academic education fit in with your job?
My education fits perfectly with what I do, and I enjoy expressing what I learnt in the field.
What qualifications do you hold? In short what educational path got you where you are? Could you have made the path shorter?
I am a holder of a Master's in Science degree and Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics with the Midlands State University. I have just begun reading towards my Chartered Financial Analyst professional certificate that measures the competence or expertise of a financial analyst.
What are the tasks that you do regularly in your profession?
I monitor markets and analyse them, this is the regular observation and recording of transactions between buyers and sellers of particular goods. I also write recommendations for traders to use on the floor, these are reports that compare two or solutions or products and then offer advice on the best option or action to take. It’s the monitoring that is more demanding than anything else because it takes much energy to concentrate.
Can you tell us some of the projects you have worked on, which you found interesting?
The most exciting research I have done was academic. I was a research assistant for the deputy director of economics at the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Dr. Mupunga on his research on the effects of interest rates on exchange rates. It was insightful and inspiring. It has helped me a lot in my career.
What bits do you find boring in your daily tasks?
The best part of my job is the analysis and the writing, it is where I show my brilliance and get to enjoy my work.
Any advice to those studying or aiming at this job or career?
For the young lads out there, I urge you to be inquisitive and hard working. One should work towards their analytic minds and learn to trust their instincts since this is a game of instincts. you should also be good at writing and good at presenting facts. These are the weapons that any analyst needs to know.
Interview by :
Sharon T Sakonda