Aleksei Fedotenkov
I’m Aleksei and I come from Moscow, Russia. I would describe myself as eclectic. I can start learning something at any time in my life, but for it to stay in my life it has to be something very significant. I’m quirky in that I can study for 24 hours or hang out with my friends for 24 hours, but I would say that overall I am ambitious about doing what I enjoy. In the future, I want to run my own business, where I create value for society through services or a product; it doesn’t really matter how.
"Networking is one of the most valuable things that I have learned at IE University."
A lasting passion for finance
Finance has been a part of Aleksei’s life for longer than he expected—something he credits to the diverse nature of the field. He thrives on being able to constantly learn across the different financial sectors while making use of the fundamentals he already has a firm knowledge of.
For this reason, it was only natural that Aleksei chose to pursue the Master in Finance. His previous studies in economics were rooted in theory, so broadening his perspective of the opportunities that the financial sector brings was a top priority. Aleksei was also drawn to the diversity of subject areas posed by finance, allowing him to experiment with new ideas and find his true passion within the field. IE University provided the perfect opportunity in this sense, also offering him an international network of like-minded students and industry professionals to help kick-start his career.
However, Aleksei’s ambitions are bigger. He doesn’t consider his professional journey to have started yet, having waited for the right opportunity to come along and chasing it wholeheartedly. Thanks to the Master in Finance’s hands-on approach, he’s looked into asset management, investment banking and fintech, finding his interest in the more technical side of finance Currently, he’s applying to quantitative jobs, as his strong knowledge base can be applied to a range of careers in finance. However, due to the knowledge and skills he’s acquired at IE University, he’s confident that he will be able to explore other avenues of finance should an opportunity come his way. He has previously written two academic articles and completed two internships, but there is one internship that he feels sums up his interests in finance: commodity features and spreads.
"I feel super strong now that if an interview comes my way from a completely new sphere of finance, I can apply my knowledge to prepare for it."
The network that IE University has provided him has also presented him with many opportunities which he could not have imagined before he started his program. In his own words: “Networking can change your life.”
While the decision to study at IE University was natural for Aleksei, he has some words of wisdom for those considering the Master in Finance: “Stay social, don’t close yourself off, even if you are under stress. Stay level-headed and work hard—that’s all you need to do.”
Looking back on his experience, Aleksei highlights the range of opportunities that were available to him that were “not only interesting, but challenging and invaluable.” The network he’s built up has also brought many new positive aspects into his life, both professionally and personally.
