José María Serena (Eco '03 + MEF '16), senior economist of International Finance at MarketsDivision of the Bank of Spain participated in the second session of Careers in International Institutions organized by the Master in Economics and Finance of the School of Economics.

Serena explained to the students the paths necessary to access the different opportunities to work in an institution such as the Bank of Spain. "The training through a Master's Degree or the thesis is core topic for the curriculum," said Serena, who encouraged attendees to specialize in the field of finance and Economics through a programs of study of postgraduate program. The thesis , he explained, is a prerequisite for access to the Bank of Spain in a position of Economist graduate.

"There are two types of work that an economist can develop in an international financial institution," Serena explained. Firstly, the work of "policy", in which the study and development of regulation, discussion of economic policy measures, trade agreements, etc. is carried out. And secondly, the "analysis" work , in which economic developments in different environments are studied, reports are prepared and the public discussion is influenced.

The economist stressed that "there are many professional opportunities in an internationalized environment", so the skill for employment positions in international organizations is "very broad" and "global". Therefore, he advised students to invest in their training, ask how to access a doctoral program and find out if the degree program in finance and economics is interesting through a specialized Master's Degree .