“Just figure out what you want to do, get an internship, and network yourself.” That’s all it takes, according to UO graduate Justin Holt, who offered experienced advice on landing a great career to a group of Economics students last term. Holt found his direction on a windy path of experience, eventually leading to his current position at Jenson Investment, assisting in the management of $5 million in accounts.
During college, Holt interned at EWEB, doing energy trades and risk analysis, which seems slightly out of character for a man who was pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts. After graduation, he moved to Portland where he practiced painting and did internet day trading on the side. This deepened his interest in finance, but he put both painting and finance aside when he eventually moved to Europe for a year to teach English. The Czech Republic and Spain treated him well, but Holt decided to pursue finance and return to the University of Oregon for an Economics degree.
After graduating from UO with an economics degree in 2003, Holt landed his career at the small firm of Jenson Investment. With only a handful of workers, this firm requires him to perform a wide variety of responsibilities. He enjoys this aspect of his job, explaining that every day is unique and interesting. The company primarily invests for large foundations and institutions, and is located in Portland.
Holt offered more detailed suggestions on how to secure a successful career, other than the dreaded, yet obvious, advice on interning and networking that students hear on a daily basis. “I wrote down a list of 20-30 companies in the industry I really liked, and knocked on their doors persistently,” Holt said. He attributes these informational interviews to his success, but stresses the importance of persistence. It took several interviews and phone calls at many different firms before finally securing his position as Associate at Jenson Investment. When asked how not to let initial rejection let you down, Holt, in true economics fashion, replied “considering the law of large numbers, it will eventually work out.”
Profile by Kasse Sande (2004)