Representing WMU in the Trading Pit - and Out of It
After earning an MBA in business administration and finance from the Haworth College of Business in May 2010, Jon Andrews set his sights on Chicago and began applying for jobs. Soon after, he was called by Belvedere Trading and proceeded through the interview process with ease. What is the difference between a call and a put option? This question and others were not problems for Andrews. His strong financial background gave him a significant advantage over other interviewees, and he landed a position as a trader trainee.
When asked about the most interesting experience in his career thus far, Andrews mentioned the dynamics in the trading pit. “It’s a lot like an elementary school playground and is no place for a person with ‘thin skin.’ The professionals in these trading pits you see screaming at each other on TV are very quick with numbers and ruthless competitors.” He also added that everyone on the floor communicates through a form of sign language called “arb,” which to most looks like chaos. “The better you get with arb and the more you learn, the slower things start to move and the more method you begin to see in the madness,” Andrews notes.
Even at a distance, Andrews is a loyal Bronco who speaks highly of his time spent at the college of business. He enjoyed learning from knowledgeable and enthusiastic professors who pushed students to do their best every day in order to be successful after graduation. “As alumni we need to keep in mind that it is up to us to constantly improve the value of our degrees by building our own reputations as WMU graduates.” Andrews strives to do just that every day, both in the trading pit and out of it.