#SDSUGrad: Richard Amaechi

San Diego State University’s community has shown its true resilience during this unprecedented and difficult time in human history. 

Graduates from the Class of 2020, in particular, have risen to the challenge.

In this series, we highlight graduates as they prepare to embark on the next chapter of their lives, including those who have secured jobs and internships or are moving into advanced studies. SDSU Career Services continues to offer resources for students, including the new online career platform Handshake and expanded virtual programming and advising.

Richard Amaechi
Major: International Business Emphasis in Japanese and Finance
Minor: Cultural Proficiency 

Can you describe a little bit about yourself and how/when you decided to pursue humanities as an area of study?

I was born and raised in San Francisco, California in a first-generation Nigerian immigrant household. My father owned a small convenience store where I worked since I was eight years old sweeping the floors. By 14, I was managing the store on the weekends to give my dad a break. 

My curiosity for diversity led me to take three years of Japanese in high school. My early passion for managing money working in a convenience store and taking Japanese in high school ultimately led me to my decision to major in international business with an emphasis in Japanese and finance. 

When did you begin your job search and what did that process entail?

I was recruited into the position I accepted after previously being denied from the College to Corporate internship with Vanguard that I applied for during my sophomore year. Vanguard, in my opinion, was one of the best finance companies that recruit at SDSU Career Fairs and after speaking with one of their representatives at an event during the fall semester of my sophomore year, I knew I wanted to apply for an internship. Some specific things I took into consideration when searching for jobs were company prestige, reputation, culture, training, compensation, and location.
Vanguard reached out to me in August 2019 as I entered my senior year where they explained that they have reviewed my resume and would like me to apply for Vanguard's Emerging Leader Development Program, which is a two-year rotational program in their Scottsdale, Arizona office. I immediately applied and flew out to Arizona for the interview where I ended up receiving a full-time offer to begin in August 2020. 

What advice do you have for fellow students, regardless of their field, looking to jump start their career and land their first job post-graduation?

Some advice I have for my fellow students regardless of their field is to maintain a professional LinkedIn profile. This helped me tremendously as I was initially denied from an internship with the company I will soon be working for. They noticed my leadership development and growth thanks to my resume and marketing myself on Linkedin. They then reached out to me for an opening based on my potential to grow as a leader within the firm. My second piece of advice would be to apply for as many opportunities as possible and put your resume out there. You never know who will be hiring and pulling up resumes of qualified applicants for future opportunities. 

What is it that you are most looking forward to as you kick start this next chapter? 

Something that I am looking forward to most in the next chapter of my career is the training. I am looking forward to learning and putting my degree to use applying financial concepts as a part of my work. In order to begin working the first few months of my rotation will consist of studying for some financial securities industry exams which will include the Series 63, Series 7, and the SIE exam. I am also looking forward to moving to a new state and having a new place to call home for the foreseeable future.

What experience at SDSU has changed your life the most?

I would say the experience at SDSU that has changed my life the most would be my semester abroad in Japan. While in Japan I was able to travel to South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Bali, Thailand, and Hong Kong. This experience really gave me an increased sense of independence and confidence as I was able to maneuver and make new friends by myself in each of the countries I traveled to. It also gave me a newfound passion for solo traveling and cultural immersion. This is something I pledged to continue for the rest of my life by traveling to at least one new country every year.