Job Q&A
by Eileen O'Reilly
[ More Job Q&As ]

Monster.com: When did you first get interested in finance?

Patrizia Moggia: When I was in college, I took a course in international finance, and I became fascinated with how capital flows from place to place and how that can be influenced and changed in order to foster economic development.

Mc: What exactly does a principal at InTech do?

PM: It means I can make decisions on behalf of the firm. In other words, my signature on a document obligates the firm to perform.

Mc: Finance has historically been a male-dominated field. Have you found that to be true throughout your career? Do you see it changing?

PM: Finance is a male-dominated field because of historical reasons -- women were brought up to stay home -- and that's not so true anymore. So yes, it is undergoing a change. The speed of this change depends more on an individual organization than on the external environment.

Mc: As a woman, how did you get to your position in the field? How many women are directors or senior management where you work?

PM: I got to where I am simply by treating everyone else as a human being and hoping to be treated the same way. In my company, there are two women in senior management, including myself, out of five executive managers.

Mc: Since the stock market has been so high for so long, have you seen an increase in applicants who want to work for your venture capital advisory group?

PM: Yes, I have noticed an increase in the number of people asking me for advice or willing to explore venture capital as an alternative career to investment banking.

Mc: What kind of training would you encourage people to get if they wanted to do this kind of work? Is an MBA essential?

PM: I believe an MBA is necessary to work anywhere in finance. I think a good undergraduate degree (from one of the top 20 colleges in the country), no matter what major, two years' work experience in a finance-related field and an MBA would create an excellent starting point.

Mc: What kind of entry-level jobs are good preparation?

PM: A position as a banking or investment banking analyst or as an associate in banking or investment banking.

Mc: Are there personality traits or aptitudes that are essential for this type of work?

PM: The ability to read people, the ability to convince people, and a willingness to feel and act as a citizen of the world with no prejudices of any sort.

Mc: What is your day-to-day work like?

PM: Usually I spend 10 to 12 hours in meetings and making phone calls to structure the type of financing required by each transaction.

Mc: What are the good and bad things about your work?

PM: There are no bad things if you maintain control and don't become a slave to the schedule. There are a lot of great things, especially dealing with people who have new ideas and the willingness to make a market success out of them. You're negotiating the best solution for everyone and getting fairly compensated for your efforts.

Mc: Speaking of getting compensated, how is the money?

PM: It changes a lot depending on the organization. The starting salary is above $70,000.

Mc: Can you get rich in this field, and what are the trade-offs?

PM: There's a lot of competition, but of course it's possible to make good money. The only trade-off I see is if you lose balance and forget about your personal life.

Mc: Where are most finance and venture capital jobs located?

PM: The East Coast, the West Coast and the Southwest region, but this is changing. Because of the restructuring of the US economy, more finance jobs are being created all over the country. It's not unusual to find VC firms in places you wouldn't expect.