We often say: if you’re looking for stability, flexibility, and the opportunity to take your career to the next level, there’s a place for you at Fidelity. Kathryn wanted to create the opportunity to advance her career by obtaining licensing at Fidelity. She can proudly say she passed her SIE, Series 7, and Series 63 exams. We sat down with Kathryn to ask her about her journey, and to see if she could offer up advice for those interested in licensing at Fidelity.
Q: What support did Fidelity provide you throughout the licensing/training/studying process?
A: Fidelity has done nothing short of providing an empowering and comprehensive training program! We were provided with extensive materials for studying and training, learning from leaders who were always available to help, and team chats where we could help guide each other through uncertainty. Throughout both training and licensing, we have met frequently as a team and individually with our leaders to get feedback and touch base about our progress. Having these regular check-ins has been exponentially helpful: not in just being able to create individualized plans to keep us on our best path, but also in showing that Fidelity genuinely cares about us as people and wants us to succeed!
Q: How did you feel throughout the studying and learning process?
A: A common phrase you’ll hear here is that licensing is like “drinking from a fire hose,” and it’s honestly a fitting statement! The amount of information you’ll be provided is extensive and it can feel a bit overwhelming. The first couple weeks of training are an introduction where you begin to learn the systems we use and the basics of the Customer Relationship Advocate (CRA) role. Once licensing starts, you get a taste of what it’s like to be a financial professional! Although it’s scary at first, once you dive in, you are again met with an extensive number of resources and aids to help make the material more digestible. As a person who enjoys being challenged and learning something new, I found licensing to be intriguing, despite being stressful at times. Once I accepted that I didn’t have to be perfect and just continued through trying my best, the process went a lot smoother!
Q: What feelings did you experience after obtaining your license?
A: Getting those licenses was… overwhelming, in the best of ways! We all put in so much time and effort; hitting the submit button on the FINRA exams with your stomach in your throat to see that little “pass” indicator is enough to make you want to cry! Those pieces of paper were my tickets to a new career where I could both help others and earn a better living for myself and my family. Rewarding doesn’t even begin to cover it.
Q: What advice can you share to help others succeed?
My best advice? Breathe, take brain breaks(!!), and give yourself grace. You do not have to be an expert right away. You do not have to be perfect and know everything there is to know. The best thing I did was give myself time to vent when I was stressed and time to look away when I needed to, all before getting myself recentered and moving forward. There are so many people and resources available to help you along the path, it’s not nearly as scary as it seems!
Q: What new opportunities does obtaining your license open for you at Fidelity?
A: As I mentioned before, these licenses are like my golden tickets to the world of finance! Once you are licensed, the open doors begin to appear around every corner. Being a CRA is an expansive introduction to all things trading, and from there, the directions you can go are vast and varied. I am lucky enough to be a part of our Smithfield team, where we are constantly expanding and bringing in new teams to explore.
Q: Tell us something fun about you! What do you do in your time away from work?
A: Aside from being a mother to my two little boys and their four-legged sister, I am engaged to be married to my partner of nearly 14 years! My fiancée and I share our love of all things nerdy, from anime to tabletop and board games, to Magic the Gathering! I also enjoy cooking and baking, settling down with a good book (a rare occurrence with said little boys), and being outdoors. I also have a more adventurous side… I love to be pushed out of my comfort zone! I’ve been skydiving, parasailing, and have enjoyed climbing around the treetops at a local obstacle course suspended in the trees! Next on the bucket list is to cage dive with sharks, but I’d settle for a trip to California to sit beneath the Redwoods until my boys are old enough to decide if they’re crazy enough to join me!
Whether you’re already a Series 7 licensed professional or are just starting your career in financial services and looking to obtain your licenses, we have the fit for you. Find the customer service role for you here.
