By: Marketing & Culture team
What does a career after the Accounting and Financial Management (AFM) program really look like? Before our trip to New York City, most of us would have answered with the Big 4, investment banking or private equity. But after a week of meeting professionals in law, tech, media and infrastructure, and exploring the city together, our answer changed. Here’s how our expectations compared to the reality of our trip!
Expectation: An AFM degree leads to the Big 4 or Wall Street
Coming into the trip, many of us thought there were only a few paths after AFM: public accounting, investment banking or private equity.
Reality: There is no single path
Throughout the week, we met with a variety of companies, including Sullivan & Cromwell, EliseAI, Cognizant and The New York Times. From law and artificial intelligence to technology consulting and media, each visit showed us a different side of business. Many of the professionals we met didn’t follow a traditional path. Some even went on to law school after AFM, while others built careers in tech, helping companies adopt AI and new technology. A highlight was realizing that the skills we build in AFM, like understanding financial statements, thinking critically and solving problems, are valuable in almost any industry!
Expectation: Investing means stocks and public companies
In class, investing often means analyzing stocks, reading earnings reports and following the markets.
Reality: Some investments you can walk across
Over the weekend, the team walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. With great weather and clear skies, it was the perfect way to settle into New York and take in the city. As we made our way across, the walk gave us the chance to slow down, start conversations and get to know each other better, especially as we spotted Spider-Man references along the bridge and joked about being in his hometown. Little did we know that later in the week, our company visits would show us that bridges like this one are part of a world of infrastructure investing that is far bigger and more nuanced than we ever expected. Between stopping for photos and enjoying the amazing views of the skyline, the bridge quickly became one of our favourite sightseeing moments.
Ultimately, the most memorable part was walking side by side as a class and feeling like we had truly arrived in New York!
Expectation: A study trip is all business
We packed our suits and expected a week full of meetings and not much else.
Reality: Some of the best lessons happened outside the boardroom
Over the weekend, the team visited The Metropolitan Museum of Art for a bingo challenge, splitting into teams to track down specific items and figures across the museum. Racing from ancient Greek sculptures to Egyptian artifacts, we got a glimpse of the history and culture that make New York so unique, and we put our quick thinking to the test along the way. Beyond the museum, some of our best lessons came from chatting with locals, navigating the subway and simply soaking in the energy of the city. The challenge turned a museum visit into a team adventure and brought the class closer together!
To conclude, we arrived in New York expecting a week of Wall Street. We left with something far more valuable: a clearer picture of how many directions an AFM degree can take us. From law firms and AI companies to newsrooms and infrastructure funds, every host showed us that the “traditional” path is just one of many, and that some of the most exciting careers are the ones we hadn’t even considered yet.
Like the Brooklyn Bridge, AFM connects us to places we might never have expected to go. Now it’s up to us to keep exploring.
To every professional, alum and New Yorker who shared their time and stories with us, thank you. We’ll be carrying these lessons with us long after the trip.