How to Launch a Career in Fintech

How to Launch a Career in Fintech How to Launch a Career in Fintech Financial technology, more broadly known as fintech, is undoubtedly here to stay.As the new era of the digital economy has unfolded, startups and companies have been building innovative technologies to disrupt the financial services sector, be it through online marketplaces, mobile apps, artificial intelligence, or robotics. With the rise of fintech comes the need for talent in this space.So, what does it take for someone to land a job in this booming sector? Technical Skills and Soft SkillsWhether you are on the entrepreneurial path or looking for a job in fintech, having a blend of both technical and business acumen is extremely helpful.Those looking to launch a fintech startup - perhaps todevelop a mobile app or set up an online store - will be most successful if they have a general management skill set that includes everything from sales and relationship management to finance, marketing, analytics, and product management.Those looking to pursue careers with fintech companies, on the other hand, need to have unique profiles and skill sets that will help them command the best-paying jobs. These professionals should have the necessary business acumen, and they should be able to confidently - and accurately - speak the language of financial services. A mix of STEMknowledgeandcoding experience is also a huge plus.Since fintech jobs typically require working with cross-functional teams under tight deadlines, soft skills like communication, problem-solving, and teamwork will make you a particularly valuable asset, whether youre working with a company or launching your own startup. Tips on Landing a Fintech JobFintech is a rapidly growing and quickly evolving space. To set themselves up for long-term success, job seekers need to keep track of all the players and stay ahead of emerging trends. Here are some tips on where to startDo your researchLearnthe ecosystem, sectors, and players. What pro ducts are excited about? Dig further into the history of the industry and any company for which youd like to work. See how the company evolved and what opportunities may lie ahead.Understand how your skills and strengths align with a prospectivecompanys needsAssess your cultural fit. Can you thrive in a startup environment, or do you need to join a more established enterprise in the fintech space, such as a bank? In drafting your resume, be sure to highlight projects, internships, and other experiences that showcaseskills that are clearly relevant to thefintech job you are targeting.Build your fintech networkFintech events are the best places to start networking. To find potential mentors and leads on job opportunities, tryparticipatinginconferences likeMIT FinTech Conference,Empire Startups Fintech Conference, Techfest, or a Startup Open Houseevent. You can also build connections with fintech professionals through LinkedIn.Sharpen your skillsEnroll in an MBA or other masters progra m that offers electives or specializations in fintech, data analytics, and/or artificial intelligence. At Smith School of Business, for instance, programs such as the Master of Management Analytics, Master of Management in Artificial Intelligence, and Master of Management Innovation and Entrepreneurship are popular for those looking to pursue fintech careers. Wherever you plan to enroll, make sure the school provides info sessions and networking events that will help you get plugged into the fintech ecosystem.As withany other industry, there will always be challenges in launching a career in fintech. With much diligence and perseverance, however, pursuing a career in the sector can be very rewarding.Karen Jackson-Cox is executive director of the Career Advancement Centre at Smith School of Business.

Drivable Cars for Kids with Mobility Issues

Drivable Cars for Kids with Mobility Issues Drivable Cars for Kids with Mobility Issues Drivable Cars for Kids with Mobility IssuesMaybe youve landseen a toddler or small child behind the wheel of one of those little battery-operated, cartoon-festooned toy cars. The University of Delaware-based Go Baby Go initiative now easily and inexpensively retrofits those cars so that children with mobility issues have a way to get around on their own.A child that cant grab, sit, crawl, or walk misses out on the ability to make independent acts and decide when and where to move, says Cole Galloway, director of the Pediatric Mobility Lab and Design Studio at the university, where hes also a professor of physical therapy.That makes for an isolating and lonely experience. Children can be marginalized to the point of invisibility, an experience that may last, or at least continue to affect children, their entire lives, he says.These kids do need assistance, its often practical and occasionally neces sary, Galloway adds. But over-reliance on assistance is detrimental to their developing independence.While children with mobility issues can get around in pediatric wheelchairs, those devices cost more than $25,000 and families that request one have about a five-year wait to receive it. Also, the wheelchairs arent often available to kids younger than three.There had to be a better way.Occupational and physical therapy students at Creighton University in Omaha, NB, install a push-button accelerator into a battery-operated toy car.In 2007, Sunil Agrawal, a professor of mechanical engineering at the university, and Galloway created small robots for immobile or partially mobile children as young as six months old to drive around in and explore their world independently. The problem? The robots were expensive and took time to build.Looking for a more cost-effective idea along the same lines as the robot, Galloway and his team took a trip to the toy store where they immediately spied a va riety of battery-operated, ride-on toy cars, each costing about $100, he says.Light bulb moment Back in the lab, they were able to configure the cars at a low cost for kids to drive all on their own. Heck, theres a lot you can do with some PVC pipe, a pool noodle, some fabric, and modest electrical modifications, Galloway says.He and his team outfitted the car with push-button accelerators and PVC cages, so children could pilot the cars safely.Galloway gives the example of Diamond, a four-year-old girl who lives in a residential facility for children with complex medical needs. Every day, he says, nurses pushed the girls wheelchair down the hall, past a series of bright murals.Then Diamond was given a retrofit John Deere toy tractor through Go Baby Go for her to drive. It included a space for her ventilator. A nurse told me, Diamonds seen these murals all her life, why is she stopping just now to look at them while shes driving? Galloway says.Thats the science behind visual percepti on, he adds. Active, independent mobility literally changes our view of the world. Those walls came alive for Diamond when she swished by in her own car. She saw her world, again, for the first time.Where does the program go from here? Galloway and his team have modified push toys, which children sit on and push with their feet to move forward. The modifications allow kids to sit on them (while being held in place with an inexpensive PVC harnesses), then progression to standing, then move the toy forward by placing their weight on the foot pads. Then, if possible, the children progress to piloting the toy forward by kicking their feet against the ground.Toys like these are useful in the developing world, where pediatric wheelchairs are even scarcer than in the US, Galloway says.While the initiative has retrofit more than 100 toy cars for kids with mobility issues, thats a drop in the bucket compared to the kids who need the mobility devices, he adds. To help, Galloway is seeking to get the Go Baby Go program instituted at other schools and other locations.To that end, the Delaware faculty published a toy-car modification how-to online to encourage other pediatric physical therapists and occupational therapists to meet their patients mobility complexities through the cars.Now, instructors in Creighton Universitys departments of occupational therapy and physical therapy are hard at work modifying miniature, battery-driven cars. They use the online modifications, which are simple to follow, says Stacy Wong, an instructor in the physical therapy department at the university, located in Omaha, NB.The modifications do need to be matched to the children and his or her specific needs, she adds.The Creighton study allows for five children ages 18 months to five years to receive cars, with an eye toward expanding the program if the initial results are positive. Over a 12-week period, the study will ask parents to keep tabs on how often the child uses the car, what kind of benefit they see their child receiving, and how they see mobility being improved.At the university, occupational therapy students Cody Funk and Alexis Woodie, and physical therapy students Thomas Myers and Brandon Barber, poked their heads under the hood of a flashy yellow Fisher-Price car to receive confirmation that their modifications have worked.They plug a battery into the rewired electrical system, the new push-button accelerator is pushed, and the cars wheels respond with a happy whirr. When youre a kid, life is all about being able to move and explore, Barber says. I hope in doing this were giving kids a chance to do that.Jean Thilmany is an independent writer. For Further DiscussionActive, independent mobility literally changes our view of the world. Those walls came alive for Diamond when she swished by in her own car. She saw her world, again, for the first time.Prof. Cole Galloway, University of Delaware founder of Go Baby Go

34% of employers reprimanded, fired people over online content

34% of employers reprimanded, fired people over online content34% of employers reprimanded, fired people over online contentGetting busted for inappropriate social media posts is elendhing new, but its certainly still relevant across industries.Take filmmaker James Gunn, who Disney fired while was working on the film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, due to old tweets joking about controversial topics such as pedophilia and rape that recently came to light again,according to The Hollywood Reporter.Gunn has since apologized, but hisfiring reportedly caused an upheaval among the cast members who dont think Disney made the right move for a variety of reasons.Deadline reportedyesterday that Gunn may be brought back on the project, according to sources.A similar PR crisis also bubbled over at The New York Times recently, where writer Sarah Jeong was brought onto the editorial board. However, after old tweets surfaced, both she and the publication released explanatory statements. She has not been fired from the position.All of this is why it isnt surprising thatrecent data from CareerBuilder shows that34% of companies saw something on the internet that made them reprimand or fire an employee.But when companies look up job applicants online beforehand, the top thing they look for is information that supports their qualifications for the job at 58%. What for theyre looking for the least is a reason not to hire at 22%.The Harris Poll surveyed 1,012 American hiring and human resource managers who are working full-time, but not for the government or themselves, for CareerBuilder.Social media decisions that have helped job applicants score positionsThe most popular thing these managers found on social media that made them employ a candidate was that their background information supported their professional qualifications for the job at 37%.Here are just a few of the other positive things job applicants did online having a website that conveyed a professional image at 33%, sh owing off their great communications skills at 28%, and having great references from others at 23%. The least popular response was that they saw that the applicant had a large number of followers or subscribers at 18%.But while 70% of companies say they look up job candidates on social media, 57% in that swimming-pool saw something that made them chuck an application in the rejection pile.What employers dont like about candidates social media accountsHere are some of the reasons why applicants got rejected for jobs.The most popular one was provocative or inappropriate photographs, videos or information at 40%.Thirty-six percent saw something related to alcohol or using drugs, and 31% saw discriminatory comments related to race, gender, religion, etc. at 31%.Twenty-seven percent also caught candidates in a lie about their credentials, and 22% said that their screen name was unprofessional. Twenty percent saw that the applicant had shared confidential information from places they used to work. The least popular reason was that the applicant posted too frequently at 12%.While you should be careful about what you post online for a variety of reasons, its also important to be on social media in the first place 47% of companies reported that if they cant find a job candidate online, they are less likely to call that person in for an interview.