"I'm a professional footballer & I want to work in banking"
After a career in professional football, I am looking to move into banking and I would like some advice.
I believe that working in banking has similar challenges to being a professional footballer.
Both require an ability to work under pressure: football and banking are results games. Both are about adapting to new surroundings, cultures and language barriers. To succeed in professional football, you need to build relationships with a diverse group of players, management, directors and owners. There can be difficult conversations and tough sessions (training session/team meetings) in which both you and your team are pushed to succeed.
Football and banking are both competitive environments. If you thrive in football, you should thrive in banking.
I believe that my experiences as a professional footballer have demonstrated my work ethic and ability to analyse situations quickly under pressure. I play in central mid-field, which means I have to effectively communicate and make decisions that could sway the outcome of a game. I've learned to maintain confidence and resilience during setbacks like injury or loss of form. In football, you must have the maturity to emotionally detach yourself from the process so that you get the job done; this is second nature to me after all these years.
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The world has a global finance infrastructure. Like football, this unites and brings together different communities and cultures. Banks facilitate the transactions that help the world economy. Time and resources are invested into market research, looking at the numbers and dissecting balance sheets. I want to be a part of this.
There's a great clip on YouTube by Jim Donovan, an MD at Goldman Sachs, which sums up why I'm suitable. I enjoy being around ambitious driven people in an intense environment. I like doing important work that helps others by using the tangible and intangible skills he mentions.
I've already applied for some roles through athlete transition programs. But if anyone can offer me further advice in the comments below, it would be greatly appreciated.
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