By Kara Sherrer
Michael Meyer
After he left the Army, Michael Meyer (MBA’19) wasn’t sure exactly what career he wanted to pursue. He explored internships in many functions until some classes later in his first-year curriculum solidified his interest in finance. He ended up getting a summer internship in corporate finance at Eastman Chemical, but as he contemplated returning to school for his second year, he realized that he really wanted a career in investment banking.
“Going into investment banking, you have the opportunity to learn at such a high rate because you’re putting in such long hours and seeing so many transactions in a short amount of time,” he said. “It’s also an opportunity that doesn’t really present itself if you don’t pursue it right out of school, and I was very cognizant of that as well.”
Meyer threw himself into networking, connecting with every Owen alum in financial services that he could. In particular, he really hit it off with an Owen alum who had recently begun working at middle market investment bank Harris Williams. The alum connected Meyer with the Harris recruiter, and after moving through the interview process, the veteran secured a full-time offer for the Richmond-based firm.
“It’s the best of both worlds for me: Getting to work with small businesses and really helping them figure out how to create value or get the price they deserve when they want to sell the business, but at the same time getting to learn from the best people in the industry. And doing it at a bank that’s very collegial,” he said.
Click through the timeline below to find out how Meyer landed his offer.
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