A banker who's been on Wall Street for 20 years explains why you shouldn't worry too much about your first job

Michal Katz

RBC Capital Markets' technology investment banking cohead, Michal Katz, has called some big-name Wall Street firms home over the course of her over 20-year career in finance.

So she knows what it takes to get ahead in the industry.

Katz got her start at Lehman Brothers in 1996. She then spent more than four years in tech banking with Barclays, according to her LinkedIn profile.

She's been with RBC since March 2013.

Katz advises technology clients on how they can grow, evolve and transform their businesses. She also plays a role in developing the next generation of talent at RBC.

So what advice does she give young people at the beginning of their careers?

"Pursue a career that you're passionate about, but recognize that your first job will most likely be just that," Katz recently said in an internal RBC interview.

"In the 'Age of Accelerations' — to borrow Thomas Friedman's term — one needs to be more flexible, adaptable, resilient, entrepreneurial and willing to take risks," she said.

Short and sweet, but it makes a lot of sense.

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