Valuable Early Career Exposure: RBC Capital Markets Welcomes Students for Office Visit
How can high school students discover careers they’ve never heard of? How will they know which fields of study are needed for different roles? Tenth-graders from The Young Women’s Leadership School (TYWLS) of Queens visited RBC Capital Markets to find out!
With support from Angela Nimoh, Director at RBC and Student Leadership Network Board member, students learned about different finance roles and practiced networking skills with employees. By visiting a corporate office in person and speaking with professionals on-site, students got a firsthand look at careers that can inform their future paths.
Benefits of Early Career Exposure and Networking
Research reported in EdSurge finds that two-thirds of students begin thinking about their careers before eleventh grade. Visits like this one to RBC Capital Markets help inform students about jobs and roles they might not have been exposed to before. Students brought excitement and curiosity, enthusiastically asking the RBC volunteers questions in breakout groups. Volunteers matched the students’ energy, sharing about what they do, their educational choices, and the internships or jobs that led to their current roles.
The conversations revealed details about day-to-day work beyond spreadsheets and computer-based tasks typically associated with finance. Communications, time management, and specific technical skills are helpful across all types of roles. One student reflected, “I learned about forecasting, where they have to use all the knowledge they have to try to predict the future, and then make the best possible choice. It’s still hard because they can never know the future entirely.” Another student chimed in, “That’s like real life, any choice we make, we make with all the information that we have and try to make the best decision.”
Opportunities to Practice Networking
After the first round of breakout groups, RBC volunteers guided students through a tour of the office and the trading floor. Lunch became a more relaxed opportunity for students to interact with volunteers and experience what a meal with colleagues feels like in an office setting. Several students commented that they were having so much fun that they didn’t want the day to end!
Group activity with students and an RBC volunteer 
RBC volunteers answered students’ questions about their education and career choices 
Students and RBC volunteers work on a group activity 
Students practice presentation skills 
Students practice networking skills
Corporate Partnerships Amplify Student Impact
We extend our deep appreciation to the entire RBC Capital Markets team for sharing their time and expertise. Thank you for your continued partnership and commitment to expanding career exposure and future possibilities for our students!
If you’d like to partner with Student Leadership Network to provide students with career exposure opportunities, please contact Matthew Chacko at [email protected].
