Vanguard recently hosted nearly 30 college students from Harvard, New York University, Notre Dame, University of Chicago, Dartmouth, and Penn for an Investment Management Development Program (IMDP) Explore Day.

Students learned about Vanguard, career opportunities in investment management, and the basics of finance and asset management.

Vanguard’s Global Chief Economist, Joe Davis, kicked off the event by sharing his experiences.

“Everything I do here at Vanguard, I learned on the job” said Davis. “And, in my experience, there’s three things you really need to be successful in your career: passion, hard work, and dedication.”

Harvard alum and Investment Analyst Matthew Tufano and Zoe Odenwalder, a junior economist and graduate of Bryn Mawr College, dug into the basics of the industry, and the day-to-day activities in an “Asset Management Crash Course.”

Students toured Vanguard’s campus and trading floors, and networked over lunch with Vanguard leaders.

The IMDP Explore Day ended with a panel of graduates from Vanguard’s Accelerated Development Program: a rotational program that helps prepare Vanguard crew for leadership. The panelists welcomed questions on personal experiences in their roles at Vanguard and in the program, how they prepared for their career while in college, and what drove them to work at Vanguard.

“I hope that events like these, as well as sharing personal career experiences, can help college students interested in Vanguard or the asset-management industry strive for a career they’re passionate about,” said Allie Burton, chief of staff in Vanguard’s Portfolio Review Department.