Investments  

The junior analyst role at Mutual was actually my first full time position out of college. I graduated from Mississippi State. I'm going on two years now, and although it was during the pandemic, I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in some hands-on learning experiences and internships that the school offered. And, you know, it really kind of helped me figure out what I wanted to do and ultimately led me to Mutual.

I've been presented with a lot of tools and opportunities that really helped me grow and have really put me on the path that I am now, and accelerated me out of the Junior Elements program, the kind of advertised, you know, interesting job duties, the flexibility in work location and the work life balance that Mutual offered weren't just talking points.

I think the biggest differentiator for working at Mutual of Omaha, especially for this program, is the opportunity to get real, hands-on investing experience straight out of the gate. I think if you go to a bigger financial institution or, you know, start going on the banking side for finance and try to ultimately end up in an investing scene, you might not get the same level of exposure and direct experience to what you want to do in your career.

I think I would tell students looking to join the analyst program at Mutual of Omaha that they actually care about developing you as an analyst, and that's whether or not you choose to transition into a full-time role after your time in the program. And another big one for this role is they'll pay for your test costs for the CFA program if you choose to go that route.

My role on the private placement team is actually much more similar to the senior members of the team than I would have expected coming straight out of college. I think I really owe that to and really the reason one of the biggest reasons why I enjoy working on my team is they really take the time to expose me to different elements of the deal process and develop me as an analyst and immerse me in the market that we invest in.

I think a big example of this is a key part of our market is relationship building. And they've really, you know, spent the time and resources to send me on what we call due diligence trips for investments we might make or to meet with company management or attend industry conferences.

My first reporting manager had such a big impact on my career and my time at Mutual so far. He is really just taking a lot of time and effort into my development, and the number of times that he spent giving me feedback on stuff after hours or, you know, taking, going out of his way to put opportunities in front of me or include me and different aspects of the job that I most likely would not have been exposed to.

Maybe even years down the line without. His mentorship has really shaped my time here at Mutual.

The flexibility and work life balance that Mutual provides, especially in finance, I think is something that's unique and being able to work on something that's really interesting, but also be able to focus on other really big parts of your life without, you know, too much of a giveaway in either. It's kind of a really unique part of the position here at Mutual.

I think the people and culture really make your time at Mutual of Omaha great. I think especially just starting out and in your career that, you know, having a work culture where everyone is super collaborative, open to conversations and teaching and, and really are just there for each other and to work together and for the same goal. Really a great experience.

And probably my favorite part about work working at Mutual.