Jay Crone

I had the opportunity to chat on the phone with one of the most interesting economics graduates in Canada.  His name is Jay Crone, he’s the founder of BreakingBayStreet (BBS), which is a hub for aspiring young finance professionals in Canada.  Along with his personal friend, Josh Emberson, the duo runs Canada’s only website that teaches young aspiring finance professionals how to break into the industry.

Education and Early Career

Jay attended the University of Ottawa where he studied Honours Economics with a Co-op option.  He chose Economics because he knew he wanted to work in financial markets, but wanted a degree with broader applications than commerce.  That was evident in his work terms as he worked in many branches of government, from Environment Canada to Transport Canada and FINTRAC.  After graduation, Jay knew he wanted to attend graduate school and took a big risk by applying for only one program: the Master of Financial Economics at the University of Toronto.  Luckily, Jay received an offer and that is where his career took off.  Upon graduation, Jay joined Scotiabank Global Banking and Markets as an Investment Banking analyst.

Transition to BreakingBayStreet

While working as an investment banker, Jay was actively involved in the recruiting process for young aspiring investment bankers and really enjoyed meeting people who were passionate about the industry.  At the time, there were no resources for Canadians who aspired to work in Capital Markets.  Jay talked about meeting people with so much potential, but just didn’t understand the ins and outs well enough to get in.  After more than four years in Investment Banking, Jay started BreakingBayStreet to pursue his passion of helping people learn about the competitive recruiting process in capital markets.

Advice for Current Economics Students

Network! Network!  Network! Jay says that Economics students are at a disadvantage because the culture of economics undergraduate programs doesn’t actively encourage networking with professionals and peers.  Only through networking can students learn how to succeed on the job, in the interview, and get a leg up on their competition.   Another piece of advice for Economics students is not to typecast yourselves as economists.  Economics graduates are just as qualified to do most jobs suitable for commerce students and should act accordingly. Also, when it comes to preparing yourself for the job market, consider courses like game theory that teach the fundamentals of competition between businesses and the decision making process.  These are skills that would be useful for entry level roles at any organization.
About BreakingBayStreet

BreakingBayStreet is a hub for the community of Canadians aspiring to become capital markets professionals offering every resource you could possibly need to succeed in the interview process and land a job.  Check it out at http://breakingbaystreet.com/.

Author:
Alex Lin
Co-President, UW Economics Society

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