Urte Ziskaite on Discovering a Area of interest to Information Your Future Profession Path

Through the Nasdaq Internship Program, we offer a variety of professional experiences for emerging talent through an immersive 10 to 12-week internship program. From Stockholm to the U.S., whether in person or remotely, we are getting an inside look at the bright minds and personalities that encompass the next generation of investors, disrupters and leaders. 
In honor of the internship season, we spoke with Urte Ziskaite, Data Analysis Intern, about ways to find your niche within an industry to help guide your career path. 

Please tell us about yourself and your position at Nasdaq. 

I am a rising senior at Vilnius University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Quantitative Economics with a focus on finance and data science. I have a professional background working in the banking sector and a junior financial analyst position at a cybersecurity company. I am thrilled to be a part of the Nasdaq Risk Platform team this summer, with the opportunity to qualitatively expand my financial knowledge. 

What is your favorite project you’ve worked on thus far, or one that you’re looking forward to? 

My intern project aims to analyze derivatives price quality by breaking down the data by market factors. Identify factors that make NDP (Nasdaq Derivatives Pricing Product) calculations problematic and determine the cause of a pricing inaccuracy. The most exciting part of the project is the ability to use my academic knowledge and apply it practically. That was one of the most important goals I set before applying for the internship position this summer. 

What about Nasdaq stood out the most, now that you are part of the global team? 

The smoothness of the process of collaborating with different business units and foreign colleagues has stood out to me. Nasdaq has a well-developed structure, allowing employees to work on a problem they have the highest competence in, then pass it quickly to another team, making the problem-solving process continuous and high quality.

What is your goal as a #NasdaqFam intern? How is Nasdaq supporting your long-term goals? 

From my perspective, hard skills and high-empathic accuracy are necessary for developing a long-term career. Happily, I am able to improve both of them here at Nasdaq.

What advice would you give to future interns?   

To enjoy the internship to the fullest, try to be as specific as you can while picking up a role suitable for you. First, get familiar with the company and business unit. If there is an opportunity, get in contact with the current employees, and ask questions to see whether you are choosing the path you are willing to. Finally, be motivated and eager to take all the lessons you are given and expand your connections circle.

How do you bring a fresh perspective to your industry?

Only a small part of the Lithuanian population has a personal investment account, which implies that the financial industry in Lithuania is underdeveloped. Bank of Lithuania was aware of this problem and, together with Vilnius University, provided a solution that I am proudly a part of. The quantitative economics program is the first major step in bringing the Lithuanian finance industry to another level. The fact that a second-year student can analyze complex products that Nasdaq develops shows that courses are effective, and the finance industry is progressing at a very fast pace. 

How is Nasdaq preparing you to be the next generation of investors?

Nasdaq deepens the understanding of the whole ecosystem of the markets. It works as an intermediary for interns to gain fundamental financial knowledge. Most importantly, the ability to get hands-on experience with Nasdaq technology tools lets us be good judges of the risks investing comes with and know how to manage them properly.   

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.