Getting involved with the FAAA at a student membership level is a fantastic way to get involved with the advice community and kickstart your career in financial advice.
I first signed up to become both an FPA and AFA student member in 2021, taking advantage of the free membership on offer and the opportunities that were provided. Being a 20-year-old who had completed their first years of university in an online environment, I was keen to get involved and create a network of financial advice professionals outside of a university setting. Amid a break in the Melbourne Covid lockdowns, I was eager to meet people and became involved with the FPA Melbourne Chapter at a Student/PY information night in August 2022. I was able to hear from various people about their respective experiences in financial advice and build connections with new faces. Through my engagement and participation in the event, I was invited to help out with the FPA Grand Final Lunch and FPA Women in Financial Planning Lunch, where I was able to further build my personal brand and professional network. I have extended my involvement with the FAAA Melbourne Chapter and now help out with events regularly, whether it is planning, promoting, or presenting at events.
When the FPA University Student of the Year Award was open for application and promoted throughout Deakin University in 2021, I leaped at the opportunity and ended up being named as a finalist for the Award. In 2022, I reapplied for the FPA University Student of the Year Award. During the application and presentation stages, I refined my skills and demonstrated my passion for financial planning through study and extracurricular experiences. Ultimately, I was sponsored by the FPA to attend Congress in Sydney and named the award winner. Throughout my time at Congress, I built a strong relationship with the other finalists, Georgia and Joel, and was able to build up my professional network and knowledge further.
I became involved with the Emerging Professionals Committee (EPC) in 2022, promoting and advocating for new entrants/the next cohort of financial advice professionals on behalf of the FPA/FAAA as a recognised professional association. Within the Committee, I had a voice and a say about what should be done to improve engagement and promote financial advice as a career option among students. In 2023, I launched the Fireside Chat series and assisted in creating FAAA student social media platforms. This initiative helped broaden the reach of the FAAA to students and recent graduates and promote further engagement and attendance amongst initiatives and events. The Fireside Chat program sought to demonstrate the benefits of studying financial planning and the various employment outcomes. After a couple of years on the Committee, I was named the EPC Chair for 2024. This has allowed me to give back to the FAAA and financial advice community, and support current student members and those on the committee. We aim to grow our student community, provide clarity about the PY for new entrants, and act as a ‘youth’ body for those in the advice profession.
Through building a close relationship with FAAA members and committee, I have been privileged to be involved with other FAAA initiatives, including being a member of the initial Culture & Community Committee (CCC) working group, being a judge for the 2023 University Student of the Year Award, and being a member of the national FAAA GenNext committee. More recently, I was approached to co-MC the FAAA Roadshow in Melbourne, alongside Aaron Hitch, who chairs the FAAA Geelong Chapter.
The hardest thing is initially putting yourself out there, but once you do, you never know what opportunities will arise and where they will take you – take it from me… I was bullied in high school and spent a couple of years by myself at lunch and recess each day. As hard as this was, I was lucky enough to build a great relationship with peers in university and find a position within the financial advice community. Since then I have been continuously supported and thrived on this basis, and subsequently, I could not recommend enough the opportunity to get involved with the FAAA.
Content sourced from FAAA Emerging Professionals Committee
