This interview is part of the CFTE Alumni Stories series, where our Co-Founder, Tram Anh Nguyen, meets with our alumni to learn about their experience in the Fintech world. In this interview, we welcome a special guest: Bogdan Ciolac. Based in Paris, he is currently a Product Owner in Euler Hermes Digital Agency as well as a Lecturer at the Université Panthéon Assas. Here, he shares how CFTE Fintech courses impacted his career and gives an advice to the aspiring Fintech professionals.
Hi Bogdan, it’s a great pleasure to talk with you today. Let’s start with the basics: what is your background?
I have a Master’s Degree in Finance and worked in London for two years and a half. Currently, I am working as a Product Owner for an API product at the Euler Hermes Digital Agency head office in Paris. I am in charge of every aspect of the product: business, marketing, strategy, technical, features development. I work on a day to day basis with Euler Hermes across the globe on the implementation of the product and with the developers to improve the product and to develop new features.
What was the most important thing you’ve learned during your job transition?
I wanted to have a role that is diverse and that requires both technical and financial skills. I also wanted to work in an innovative environment.
CFTE helped me a lot with acquiring these Fintech skills. But the most important thing that I learned at CFTE is the mindset. I acquired an innovative and entrepreneurial mindset from CFTE and that’s what helped me to get this new, exciting job.
Beyond the popular image of Fintech, what was the most surprising thing for you?
I would have never imagined the amount of work that’s still to be done. From the outside, everything seems so perfectly automated but inside we can see that the key to success is people.
What is the best advice you would give to someone who wants to shift their job in finance and develop their career?
I would probably tell them to look deep inside themselves, and find their true nature. If this means changing their current job for something that fits them better, then learn the skills and the mindset that are needed to succeed. If your goal is to get into Fintech, complete your financial skills with technical ones or the other way round. Fintech is a great place to be and CFTE might be the right place to start – at least it was for me.
Is it more difficult to train yourself and change your job in the finance industry as it requires technical skills?
In my opinion, it is more complicated. This is actually why I have a job because they need a product owner who understands both finance and tech, to explain the tech part to business people and the business part to developers to be able to build the right product.
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The interview was originally published in French in the Finance Mag.
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