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What he does:
- David Brokate has been a management trainee in the Finance
Department for 6
months. His main responsibility on the job is working on Section 404 of
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. This act requires public companies to
report on their internal controls as they relate to financial
reporting. He also assists the CFO and
Controller in various projects that relate to the bank’s
finances. For his work on Section 404, he currently writes
narratives on different
processes within specific departments of the bank. As he learns about
and
documents each process within a department, he identifies both the
controls and
weaknesses.
Math on the Job:
- Other than Section 404, some examples of interesting
mathematically-rich projects that David has worked on include the
following: he created an insiders' stock position Excel program
(including options). He reconciled some of the year-end asset and
liability accounts. He created UBPR report comparisons using
Excel. He analyzed the bank's quarterly, 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year
stock returns (using stock splits and dividend reinvestments).
David says, "I work a lot with spreadsheets and matrices. I use my
basic statistical background when monitoring account balances and
differences." He points particularly to his "Introduction to
Higher Mathematics" (a course on conjecture and proof) as a math course
that helped him analyze numbers in a more intricate manner.
David's background:
- David majored both in Mathematics and Business Administration
(with a concentration in Finance) at Franklin & Marshall College,
graduating in May 2004. In his day-to-day work, he uses general skills
from classes in
Business, Economics, Statistics, and Math. He praises his senior-level
Geometry and Topology classes for giving him confidence to take on the
most challenging tasks in the workplace: "I do believe the
400-level
math classes were the toughest classes that I took. The ability to
understand those subjects has given me the confidence to learn anything
I have to learn."
Advice for students:
- "I have two comments for high school and college students
considering math. First of all, a math major is not what you think it
is. It’s more than just numbers; it’s an approach to solving problems.
It forces you to think in ways you never thought you could think
before. Next, don’t believe that if you major in math, you are limiting
your future. A math major opens a door to endless opportunities. I
would advise you to take the time to get a list from the college of
alumni who were math majors. Contact them and find out what they are
doing today. You will be shocked.”