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šŸ‘‹Ā About Me + Working in Fintech FAQs

Update - January 2025

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I left my former employer in October 2024 but this page still serves as a resource for those wanting to understand what it was like being a first timer in the fintech industry

3 things about me

  • Software Engineer at Bank of America Derivatives Trading - landed the position as part of the Full-Time Technology Analyst Program (TAP) from GHC 2022
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    Would suggest volunteering or getting a grant to attend GHC: https://ghc.anitab.org/
  • Completed Undergraduate šŸŒ½Ā  studies in Computer Science + Advertising at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in May 2023
  • Refer to my LinkedIn for more about my experiences here

What do you do at Bank of America?

  • Derivatives Trading: Developing Software for Regulatory Reporting with Quartz - think of it as Python and Java had a baby
  • If you went to UIUC and took CS225 - think of it as developing functions for an MP except you make up the logic from information given by Business Analysts and not by GCE or Brad Soloman
  • Side Quests:
    • Girls Who Code Mentoring
    • Global Technology Interns Code A Thon Mentor + Workshop Presenter
    • Tech Talks on Certain Systems to NJ + Chicago Teams
    • Convincing my manager to get Team Patagonias :)

How did you get the job?

  • I vibed with the senior technology manager at the Grace Hopper Conference and we spent more time talking about leadership books than software
  • The interviewer complimented my dress and I am known as to her ā€œthe girl with the pretty blue, green, and white patterned dressā€ - my wardrobe is only flower patterned dresses or custom-designed dresses + skirts made in my motherland of Poland by Tatry Mountains
  • Followed up with interviewer after GHC + connected with her on Linkedin
  • Ran on the heels of a BofA recruiter 2 weeks later as I had a competing offer - when I landed in Pittsburgh the night before my PNC Tech final interview onsite, got the call from a BofA recruiter I got the job šŸ˜Š

Whatā€™s it like working in FinTech?

  • As my manager once told me - You go to school to learn HOW to learn.
    • I love learning daily šŸ˜Š
  • Learn your OOP + Data Structures + Algorithms VERY well in school - trading is complex systems and algorithms at the end of the day
  • Algorithms and writing pseudocode are important skills to have as you do this on a daily
  • Youā€™re hand-holded in school with pretty documentation; corporate documentation is very vague and lack detail. My goal is to change that at work xD
  • Know how to communicate - you work with Non-Tech Stake Holders Daily
  • Came in with no finance knowledge, you learn on the job
  • I live in Chicago and make 6 figures. Might not be like 200K as Amazon New Grad but hey, 6 figures is good for me for to buy an electric car with my own funds :)
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YouTubers: Graham Stephan and Robert Kiyosaki

What do you wear to the office?

  • Business casual clothing. Nothing too fancy
  • My Top Picks
    • Patagonia
    • Lululemon
    • APL shoes
    • Company t-shirt or solid-colored t-shirt

What are the hard lessons you learned at work?

  • Work friends are NOT your real friends outside of work UNLESS you have their personal number. Once you leave that company and they never reach out to you again, thatā€™s when you realize the harsh reality.
  • Itā€™s ok to have work friends and is important to have them for your sanity
  • Set boundaries between work friends, personal friends, and colleagues in the workplace
  • Everything you say will be used against you if someone wants to cause you harm, document every single thing
  • Donā€™t work harder than your Team Manager or Senior Devs - they are the ones getting all the recognition you do for the team at the end of the day
  • Don't just work hard just to get publicly thanked by the Team Manager at an all-hands call. Thatā€™s depressing. Work hard for promotion or elevate your career
  • Always ask for permission first - you will piss SO many people off if you ask for forgiveness first without permission
  • Learn how to milk work benefits and program - leverage HR and make a work bestie in HR so you can slide to their Skype DMs ANYTIME
  • People like it when you send calendar invites and emails since we all are busy these days
  • Get involved and attend those corporate events. Be very cautious if you plan to get involved in taking the lead of a committee - remember, team objectives come first, other priorities if time permits
  • Overcommunicate everything
    • I have one work bestie who is a senior dev I will tell him my updates every morning and afternoon to keep me accountable. Also, go to for developer advice
    • I always email my team when I am OOO or stepping out in both email + our team group channel
    • For every 1-1 I do with my manager, my agenda is the same for our 30-minute monthly calls:
      • What I accomplished
      • What problems have I noticed on the team and how can we fix
      • Career or personal advice like restrictions since we work in trading
  • No one cares exactly why you are OOO or stepping out, be vague. But also no one needs to know you have an appt for 2 hours to buy a Tesla. The more vague, the better
    • My emails are always ā€œDate - OOO for Personal Day <eom>ā€ or something along those lines

I love your experience - can we do a coffee chat and give me a referral?

  • As much as I love to personally help everyone, I need to recover as I got very burnt out with past initiatives doing high-level things with co-directing conferences and creating non-profit initiatives. Currently doing major side projects at work that keep me VERY busy these days.
  • I am VERY busy at work with GOLIVE preparations and either work very early or very late in order to talk to my personal friends overseas - I have a custom world clock of certain cities on my iPhone and have a time frame when I usually chat with my overseas friends - especially those in Mumbai and London
  • Outside of work, I do passion projects and non-work-related stuff like college consulting for friends
  • Only contact me on Linkedin if you have questions. Please send me a personalized note if you want to connect or else I will reject your connection to request
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If I see genuine potential in you, then I will gladly refer you to both campus hiring and contractor companies BofA sources devs from

Got A Referral From Me - Whatā€™s Next?

  • Congrats on your referral and being one step closer to selling your soul to Corporate America! Here is what to expect:
    • The referral will go through both the internal campus referral for Bank of America and be sent to our Contracting Companies Dexian and TEKsystems
    • Contracting Company recruiters will reach out if they see your resume as a fit then talk about the next steps
    • Bank of America - look at their website for job portals
  • I would suggest going through Glassdoor and Reddit for advice with interviews

What books + videos helped you get to where you are

  • To be blunt, people are lazy and claim they don't have the time to read a book but in reality, they do so here are summaries of the books I recommend
    • Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferazzi
    • Super Learning by Peter Hollins
    • Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
  • Youtube Channels
    • Krian Bearney - to understand what corporate America is like
    • Graham Stephan - financial tips and don't spend $5 coffee
    • 60 minutes - interesting interviews and global news

Any Relevant Links To Share With Me?

Love Your Website - How Did You Make It?

Do You Plan To Go Back To Grad School?

  • Maybe if tuition is cheap or free like it was for me at undergrad. Besides, I have a BS in CS + Advertising which employers see CS in the name

If I do plan to go to grad, see my reasons here

šŸ’»Why UIUC MCS for FinTech?

Can We Connect?

Sure - only on Linkedin

Other FAQs Iā€™ve been asked throughout the years

Grace Hopper Conference FAQsUIUC CS + Advertising FAQsMy Top Resume Advice

Thanks for taking a scroll - letā€™s chat šŸ’¬Ā