have no choice but focus on attracting more clients for whatever it takes under strong competition among peers. In addition, due to high-labor work load for sales person, most of them have a limited time in the position and would transfer to a more stable position after several years. However, due to limited exposure in early-year, they have a limited choice of high-level positions. Being an analyst in an investment banking is the second recommended choice for Micheal. Compared with big four CPA firms, investment banking provide more satisfying salary given the same hours put into work. In addition, the position also provides employee with a broad exposure to capital operation, portfolio management, investment consulting and commercial banking businesses. Micheal can have multiple choices for further development in investment banking and most of which are prospective. However, compared with the position in a top-tier financial institute, the prospective for a position in foreign-invested investment banking is limited by legal and governmental policies imposed by the government.
On the other hand, the decision can also be supported based on analysis and comparison of each job position based on Micheal’s personal preferences. For Micheal’s concern, he prefer a job with considerable salary, decent environment and limited travel environment and the order from the most concerned to the least concern are as: salary, working environment, social recognition, travel percentage and working hours. From his preference, we can find that the research assistant in one of the top-tier financial institutes in main land China is the most desirable one. The position provides one of the highest salary, neat and decent working environment, high recognition in Asia’s capital market, limited travel (Micheal would like to travel if he is paid decently) and an acceptable working hours (equal or less than entry-level position big four).
Although the analysis for the job position choice considered both external (overall job conditions) and internal (Micheal’s personal preferences) factors, this paper is limited by omitting the effects of possible economic recession, changes in local and oversea government policies, changes in exchange rates, social turmoil risks, global weather changes, oversea market changes, recycles of domestic and oversea stock market as well as changes in consumer’s psychological conditions. In addition, this paper is also limited by not take into consideration of Micheal’s special personal issues: unexpected physical problems, family concerns and marriage decision. This paper assumes all these above factors remains relatively the same for the next four to five years.
All in all, considering the overall job conditions as well as Micheal’s personal preferences, this paper believes that the choice of being a research assistant in one of the top-tier financial institutes in main land China is the most prospective one for starting a career.
