Movers & Shakers
LATITUDE
SURNAME PUN ALERT: A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY
Canada’s economy has taken a kicking the last few years, providing myriad challenges and uncertainties in a volatile market. But it seems the key ingredient to success for new professionals, as well as those look- ing for a career change, is adaptability. Each year, JWN, formerly JuneWarren-Nickle’s En- ergy Group, champions a new class of its Rising Stars, honouring a handful of budding professionals who display adaptable and innovative thinking in their roles. One of the members of the Rising Stars Class of 2018 is University of Calgary grad Matthew Little, E.I.T. Mr. Little does not back away from a challenge. When faced with what seems like an impossible deci- sion, he shapes it into an opportunity and forges ahead. And nothing provides a better example of this than his academic record. A promising football player looking to attend a university that could fulfill his sports goals and offer a quality engineering program, Mr. Little chose the University of Calgary. But the aspiring engineer thought he might like to study business, too. So, he did, adding finance and business courses to a decidedly full roster. With so many priorities competing for his time and energy, you’d think something would give. Nothing did. Mr. Little was determined to make the most of his time in school and give himself the best possible start to his professional life. He aced everything he put his mind to. And there’s more, as there often is with people like Mr. Little. As a way of encouraging engineering stu- dents to consider atypical career paths, he co-founded Unconventional Engineers with his brother and two others at the University of Calgary. By providing semi- nars, workshops, mentoring, and case studies, Uncon- ventional Engineers exposes students to options such as investment banking, private equity sales and trading,
MATTHEW LITTLE, E.I.T. . . . . .merging career paths
and business development. It emphasizes career suit- ability over availability. “For students, Unconventional Engineers helps them see that there’s so much more than just a pure engineering role awaiting them. It gives them the re- sources to develop their passion or interest. There’s also a benefit to employers, who now have direct ac- cess to engineering students who bring a different skill set—a very analytical, numeric one—right out of school,” he told JWN. Now a chartered financial analyst (CFA), Mr. Little is also on his way to becoming a professional engi- neer. “I’m proud of the fact that I passed each level of my CFA on the first try. I’m also happy I did it early on in my career, which allowed me to transition from true engineering to business development and then into investment banking and now equity research. A spreadsheet might tell you that you can do anything, but the reality is quite different. Understanding both the technical and the financial sides helps deliver more grounded, insightful advice.”
FALL 2018 PEG | 25
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