This month we had Temitayo Urubusi, PFP, Senior Financial Advisor at CIBC, speak with us in the first virtual iteration of our Career Exploration Series. During this presentation, Temitayo shared how she leveraged her skills in chemical engineering to transition into the finance sector.
Temitayo graduated with her chemical engineering degree at Obafemi Awolowo University. After her studies, she decided to establish her career in Canada where she enrolled in the Engineering Bridging program at Ryerson University and landed her first role with the Ontario Ministry of Environment as an engineering intern. Living in a new country, Temitayo was curious about managing her personal finances. She borrowed books from the library and read everything she could about finance. When she realized she wanted a career that had more interaction with people in her day to day, she gravitated toward this interest, leading her to learn about the Canadian Securities Institute (CSI). From here, Temitayo completed the self-study Investment Funds in Canada course offered by the CSI, allowing her to make the career switch into the finance sector.
In her role today with the CIBC Imperial Service, she helps over 200 families with their financial planning. No two days are the same, so she begins each day by assessing her appointments and preparing for the meetings she has scheduled for the day. Similar to how researchers stay on top of the literature, she stays on top of the news on the economy to foresee the financial impacts that her clients may be facing. Through working with her clients over the years, Temitayo has grown to know them on a deeper level including but not limited to celebrating their milestones, seeing them begin a new chapter in their life, and helping them navigate through hardships. The biggest change she noticed working as a financial advisor is the high level of social interaction.
Temitayo touched on transferable skills she leveraged from her chemical engineering background into her role as a Senior Financial Advisor. Instead of developing processes for industrial systems, she is applying her skillset towards people. Temitayo highlighted the top skills gained from her chemical engineering education that she uses everyday in her current role:
- Problem-solving skills
- Communication skills
- Management skills
- Organizational skills
- Analytical skills
- Mathematical skills
- Team management skills
If you are interested in a career working for the finance sector, Temitayo recommends taking a self-study courses provided by the Canadian Securities Institute (CSI). With the self-study nature of these certifications, one can begin the transition process while in their current role. Regardless of what career sector you choose, Temitayo’s advice is to find what you are passionate about or enjoy, and work will not feel like a chore.
If you’d like to learn more about the Temitayo’s day to day as a financial advisor, visit the CIC News article.
We would like to thank Temitayo Urubusi, PFP for volunteering her time to help the CIC Toronto community! With the success of this event, we plan to continue the Career Exploration Series so stay tuned on our social media!
This event was made possible thanks to the CIC Chemical Education Fund (CEF).
