The Significance of Youth in Finance - Tysys Capital Group

So many industries are being revolutionized by forward-thinking, rule-breaking, curious young people with unconventional ways of thinking and doing things and amid the 5^th industrial revolution, youth seem to be at the forefront, leading and pioneering most of the change. Allow me to walk you through my experience working in finance as an ambitious young woman, and make mention of some of the things I’ve learned.

The Finance industry is one of the pillars of any economy and to be a young woman in such a key industry has been nothing short of eye-opening. Stepping into the world of financial services and understanding the fundamental structures that govern the movement of money in the economy, I realized how big of an industry it was. When I started this journey with Tysys, I was intimidated at first as this was uncharted territory for me – given that I was honored with an opportunity to learn within a field where I had, not even an educational background. I jumped at the opportunity because I am the kind of person that gets excited about learning new things and immersing myself in unfamiliar and intimidating situations because often times that’s when I rapidly learn and grow. Nevertheless, I learned that adaptation needed to be second nature. I had to be open to receiving help when unsure, and more importantly ask questions! 

 As time progressed, I came to understand that finance is vast and broad, and there are many levels to it and so much I could possibly learn. I got excited about the idea of dipping my fingers in all the pies, but I quickly realized that I would stretch myself thin and my approach needed to be more focused. However, it’s useful to point out that this sort of attitude towards opportunities will always be an advantage that young people possess. 

Having mentioned that, companies need to give more young people opportunities to learn, observe, ask, and contribute in ways both familiar and unfamiliar to us, dispelling the narrative that we don’t have much to offer because of lack experience. The conflation of knowledge and experience often makes it difficult for youth to be given these opportunities, understandably so, however it’s important that that be abolished, and young people be given a chance. I say this with confidence knowing that my fellow youth share the same sentiment – we learn fast and want to get things done quickly and ultimately more efficiently by working smart not hard. We are kick starters and out-the-box thinkers, full of suggestions and opinions of an unconventional and untraditional kind. These are incredibly invaluable qualities to have in industries like finance. The industry is under huge transformation given the rise of digitization, automation by machine learning, and integration of artificial intelligence. It is safe to say young people have a better and deeper understanding of this new technology’s potential, and if not an understanding, an expansive imagination for all the uses we can put it to and how it can revolutionize all industries but significantly the finance industry, and that is why young people are invaluable assets in this industry. 

Happy Youth Month South Africa….