Alum Malachi Morgan was a student in the Computational Finance and Risk Management Master of Science campus cohort of 2014. He held his internship with Pugh Capital Management over the duration of his time in the CFRM program, and transitioned to a full-time employee in 2016. He recently took the time to reflect on his time in the CFRM program.
Hometown: Johns Creek, GA
Undergraduate University: Morehouse College
CFRM Cohort: 2014
CFRM Graduation: 2016
Current Location: Seattle
Company: Pugh Capital Management
Title: Investment Analyst
Q: How did your time in the CFRM program help you with your career path?
MM: Definitely seeking advice from staff and professors about employment opportunities and career services was beneficial for me. They helped me focus my thoughts and make sure that I am pursuing what I want to do.
Q: What was your favorite CFRM course? Why?
MM: The Visual Basic in Excel and SQL class [CFRM 506] was one of my favorites. This class taught me skills in building databases and writing code that provides quick access to data. I was taking this class during my internship, and a lot of what I learned was directly applicable to projects at work.
Q: What was your most memorable event or activity during your time in the program?
MM: I really liked the Friday lectures where we brought in professors or working people to give a presentation. It was really interesting to learn new subjects and then some things about what they do in the real world after graduate education. The food and drinks afterwards was also great because we had the chance to talk with the speakers and further connect with staff, professors, and colleagues.
Q: What made you interested in your current field?
MM: Being at Morehouse exposed me to a lot of theoretical math, but I started getting interested in how to apply these theories. So I got interested in this program because the mathematical analysis is applicable to real world problems in finance. The program brought together all the courses I enjoyed in undergrad (Math, Computer Science, and Finance).
Q: What is the best part of your current position?
MM: I work at a small firm of about 23 employees, and 13 people on the investment team. I enjoy the fact that I don’t have to specialize in a certain subject and I can work on different projects with several senior people at my firm. This has helped me grow my education in finance and fixed income analysis.
Q: What advice would you give incoming CFRM students?
MM: My advice would be to use your career services resources that the program provides, and use your faculty to figure out what you want to do after the program. They are there to help you guys out.