Financial Services track
Build the skills and connections to begin your career in financial services.
Location: New York City
FINANCIAL SERVICES TRACKFind your fit in the financial services sector
Our financial services fellowship provides a comprehensive blend of data analytics and financial services topics, ensuring that students gain knowledge and skills in both areas and are prepared for careers in wide ranging roles in the financial sector.
Meet MariaCristina and other fellows and captains from COOP’s financial services track. Hear about what their experience has been like and how the fellowship can make a difference on your career path.
If you have questions, please contact our team at recruiting@coopcareers.org.
What are financial services?
Financial services professionals support the systems that manage and move money across the global economy. Banks, investment firms, fintech companies, and financial institutions rely on professionals who do a variety of tasks, including analyzing data, monitoring financial activity, supporting transactions, and helping organizations make informed financial decisions.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that business and finance employment will grow by 7% from 2021 to 2031, slightly above the average projected growth for all U.S. occupations. Certain roles within finance, like financial examiner, are projected to grow by more than double the national average (Source: Forbes Magazine).
Fellows will have the opportunity to prepare for employment through a structured blended learning model including live training, asynchronous learning, and applied projects. Fellows will have access to the CFI Corporate Finance Foundations certificate as well as the Google AI Professional certificate to support their learning journey.
Kickstart your career in financial services
COOP Careers Fellowship introduces participants to the fundamentals of the financial services industry and the skills needed to begin a career in finance.
Fellows learn how financial institutions operate and about the regulatory environment they operate in, while building analytical skills through hands-on work with financial data, including data visualization projects, statistics, and probability. The curriculum also introduces key data analysis techniques and tools, enhanced by AI such as Excel and Tableau to help fellows analyze information and communicate insights.
Throughout the fellowship, fellows apply what they learn through projects that simulate real financial services work, mirroring common responsibilities in entry-level financial services roles, such as evaluating financial performance, identifying trends in data, and presenting findings clearly to stakeholders.
The capstone project offers our fellows the opportunity to demonstrate and refine their technical and soft skills in real-time. Fellows collaborate in small groups to derive data driven insights that replicate entry level job responsibilities in financial services.
Completing the capstone project results in a deliverable — such as a report or presentation — that serves as a tangible work-like experience they can leverage during their career search and highlight during job interviews.
COOP prepares you for entry-level financial cervices jobs:
Financial Analyst
Investment / Client Analyst or Associate
Asset Management
Operations Analyst
Associate Data Analyst
Data Governance Associate
Virtual Engagement Associate
Data Strategy and Analytics Associate
Personalities suited for
this track:
Problem Solver
Analytical
Strategic
Communicative/Interpersonal
Adaptable
Where our alumni work today
Finishing the fellowship is just the beginning. From there, fellows join an alumni network of peers and partners who are invested in their success. COOP staff share job referrals and host workshops with employer partners, from resume reviews to mock interviews, so alumni have support at every stage of their career.
Alumni also have access to private groups where they can connect with peers for referrals, receive event invitations, and get advice from people who started where they did.
COOP alumni have gone on to launch careers at companies like Barclays, Salesforce, and TikTok, and the list keeps growing.
Preparing for an
AI-forward labor market
Artificial intelligence is indeed transforming how professionals work across industries, but it has also shaped the way professionals identify, research and land jobs. Throughout the fellowship, fellows will learn best practices for responsibly deploying AI for professional tasks such as analyzing information, summarizing insights, and preparing reports, as well as how to use generative AI and AI-enabled tools to support their job search.
Applying generative AI to support analysis, idea generation, and problem solving
Drafting and refining professional communication such as reports and presentations
Identifying responsible and ethical methods to using AI tools in the workplace
Special topics in AI and emerging technology in the financial services industry
Using AI tools to research industries, companies, and career paths
Financial services
Core program components (200 hours)
Head
Strong foundation of hard skills for a career in tech.
/100hrs
Financial services fundamentals
Regulatory environments
Statistics foundations
Advanced Excel and AI integrations
Tableau and AI integrations
ESG and impact investing
AI risk-management frameworks
Data-driven presentations
Prompt engineering foundations
Leveraging AI in the workplace
Heart
Develop your strengths, personal story, and professional network.
/50hrs
Communication
Conflict resolution
Time management
Onboarding to a new job
Authentic professionalism
Work-life balance
Handling rejection
Confidence and facing fears
Benefits and challenges of AI
Critical thinking in generative AI use
Hustle
Hit the job market with a plan, a portfolio, and positive peer pressure.
/50hrs
Personal pitch
Resume
LinkedIn
Cover letters
Email etiquette
Interview practice
Business professionalism
Presentation skills
Leveraging AI in your job search
FINANCIAL SERVICES alumniFinancial services
alumni testimonial
Throughout my COOP experience, I truly learned the meaning of ‘it’s all about who you know.’ The connections I built, especially with my captains and guest speakers, have played a major role in shaping my career journey.
Fatoumata Fofana
Cohort 584 | Fall 2025 | Financial Services | Financial Data Analyst - Bloomberg
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