I started my career at J.P. Morgan on the Spring Week programme in 2006. My main motivation for applying to the financial services industry was that I knew I would be exposed to some enormously exciting commercial challenges. Spring Week really opened my eyes to those opportunities. 

I want to be involved in the movements and developments of global markets and multinational enterprises. By working at J.P. Morgan I'm collaborating with some of the most extraordinary and talented people in the world.

Starting early - Spring Week  
I decided to apply for the J.P. Morgan Spring Week programme (which is now called Spring Week: Inside the Industry) during my first year at LSE. The combination of desk rotations, skills sessions, case studies and social networking events made it a truly exciting experience. The event enabled me to learn more about banking in general, and gave me a small preview of working life at J.P. Morgan. I made some valuable contacts at the firm, and I'm certain that participating in the programme played a huge role in securing a summer internship.

I was keen to spend the summer at J.P. Morgan as opposed to other investment banks because you generally spend the full 10 weeks on a single desk. I knew what area I wanted to work in, so it was a great way to really immerse myself and build solid relationships. I was given so many different things to do, I feel like I really broadened my skills base. My boss allowed me to pitch the work I did to the entire sales force, several of whom approached me afterwards asking for more information on what I'd written. Not bad for an intern! And after 11 weeks of hard work, being offered a full-time Analyst position for the following year by my manager was the best feeling in the world.

Managing my career. And having fun too.
Of course there are times when it gets busy, and I have occasionally had to stay late or come in over the weekend. During my internship, however, I had no problem seeing friends, making weekend plans or even going home to Belgium for the weekend. The people you work with have families and kids to go home to, so no one stays in the office unless it's necessary.

Any advice?
The best advice I could give to anyone wishing to join J.P. Morgan is to get in there early - apply for Winning Women or one of the Spring Week programmes. Grab every opportunity that comes your way. You also need to be open-minded and realise that you will make mistakes; the important thing is to learn from them and move on. Creative and innovative thinking are encouraged; if you have an idea or an interesting thought, share it! People at the firm recognise potential when they see it.

Why I'm proud to be an Equity Research Analyst at J.P. Morgan
I love working in Equity Research, as the team at J.P. Morgan is fantastic. I learn more and more every day about my sector - the learning curve here is very steep. I'm constantly being given new challenges and exceeding my own expectations. I feel genuinely lucky to have found a career I love and a firm I really want to work for.