I interned at a hedge fund when I was 16. It was the smartest decision I made as a teenager and set me on the path to a career in finance.

• Yi Ke Cao did his first internship at a hedge fund when he was 16 years old.

• Cao says the two-week period, although short, was a pivotal moment in her career development.

• In addition to confirming her interest in finance, the internship motivated her to attend business school.

This essay as stated is based on a conversation with Yi Ke Cao20 years old, student at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Cao began his internship journey back in high school when he interned at a hedge fund. The following has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider verified his education and employment history.

My parents both worked in finance. When I was much younger, like most kids, I had little idea what my path into the world of work would look like. But my people told me stories about corporate finance and what it was like to be part of the industry. That sparked my interest in the field.

I’m not going to lie. Money was one of the key attractions of the sector, although for me, it wasn’t the only thing that mattered.

When it came to looking for a job, I knew I wanted to work for an employer that would offer me a positive work-life balance and hopefully a place with a good environment and great colleagues.

That being said, I wasn’t a big fan of working in finance. I didn’t have any practical experience at the time, but I was keen to explore what a career in finance would look like.

Joining a hedge fund as their youngest intern

Unexpectedly, an opportunity came to me to sit at a hedge fund at 16.

I was still a student in high school when I received a list of internship opportunities from my school as part of their work experience program.

That’s when I had a two-week stint with a hedge fund in Singapore, Modular Asset Management.

This was during the COVID-19 pandemic, so most of the internships listed were remote positions. But the position with Modular Asset Management was different – ​​it was held on site.

I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to gain industry exposure and expand my network.

As part of my application, I submitted my CV and a video presentation. I managed to secure my internship after being shortlisted and passed an interview with my future mentor and supervisor.

To be honest, I don’t think I had the best CV out of the other 10 candidates I competed against. For example, I didn’t have that many achievements on paper. However, my mentor said he decided to take a chance because I seemed curious and willing to learn.

The story continues

I started my internship in December 2020 and I was the youngest intern there.

I’m getting over my impostor syndrome

The first days of my internship were terrifying.

I felt overwhelmed by the new environment. I didn’t know what my colleagues expected of me because I had no prior knowledge or technical skills to offer.

I did my best to contribute to the team. I had a basic knowledge of Excel, but the learning curve was steep. I had to understand advanced Excel techniques in a few days so that I could help my supervisor prepare profit and loss statements.

This experience has stood me in good stead to this day—I now use the Excel techniques I learned at my business school internship.

And while I didn’t contribute to any major projects at the hedge fund, I was still able to get a better sense of how its various departments worked together.

I got to participate in strategic discussions between departments and witness part of their decision making process as a trader. I started to see how meticulous and demanding you have to be if you want to be a good portfolio manager.

The internship at the age of 16 was a pivotal moment in my career development

Looking back, the hedge fund internship was a pivotal moment in my life.

In addition to giving me early exposure to a professional work environment, it helped confirm my interest in a career in finance and solidified my decision to attend business school.

If I could turn back the clock, I would have done more internships as a teenager. Even though the scope of work would probably have been limited, it would still have been good exposure for me.

Most people don’t know what they want to do for a living at 16. But through interns earlier, I think one can understand the corporate world better.

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