What made you choose to study geography at the University?
The simple answer is that physical geography has always been an area of interest for me.
Maybe something worth pointing out is that the course gave plenty of room to pursue extra-curricular activities, something that at least in my opinion I believe to be a worthwhile endeavour.
With regard to choosing the University of Nottingham itself, I fondly remember the open day, which sealed the deal for me. Climate change continues to be something I’m very passionate about.
What skills did you acquire during this time?
By far and away the most important skill that I acquired during my time on the course was writing.
With regard to what I've personally found useful beyond university, research, time management, working in team, all fall way behind writing. Like everything it is something you can get better at with practice and time; with hindsight I'm grateful for being forced to do this as part of the course.
What are your fondest memories from your time at the school?
There are a couple of things that stand out for me when thinking back on the course. The Patterns of Life and Environmental Change modules were highlights for me, because of the enjoyable content coupled with the enthusiastic teaching (Richard Field, Chris Lavers, Simon Gosling, George Swann et al.).
Despite the prices at the time, field trips were worth it and terrific fun; they gave opportunities to meet your peers on the course, many I’m still friends with today.
Finally, I found the third year dissertation extremely rewarding; the planning and execution of what would be many people's largest academic undertaking, as well as the multiple all-nighters, was ultimately very gratifying.
Where are you working now and what does the role involve?
I currently work at a technology hedge fund called Silver 8 Capital and we predominantly invest in blockchain/crypto assets, such as Bitcoin. The investment manager is US-based, but one of the co-founders is Spanish; therefore, we have an office in Madrid, which is where I sit.
It's a small team, hence I'm able to get involved in a lot of different areas, which keeps the job extremely engaging. Generally speaking, my time is split fairly equally between responding to requests from existing clients (investor relations), and selling Silver 8 to potential future ones (business development). If I have some time left over, I'll also help with investment research, and ensuring the analyst team is kept up to date with any major market developments.
What advice would you give to someone considering following a similar career path?
My absolute best piece of advice would be to get involved in the extra-curricular opportunities at university; with the amount that the University of Nottingham has to offer, there is really no excuse for not getting stuck in! Whatever hobby(ies) you decide to pursue, whether it be sports-related or otherwise, ideally aim for a leadership position, to show employers that you have many strings to your bow.
Finally, a slightly broader point, that sometimes the best jobs may well require you to pack up your bags and relocate. If this is the case, I would encourage you to embrace the opportunity to get a know a new city or country; it'll be daunting at first, but you'll be better for it in the long run, having pushed yourself to take on the unknown.