MERCED, Calif. (KFSN) — Tiler Fears says he knew early on he had an interest in finance.

“I enjoyed investing in the stock market in high school and after on my own, right when I turned 18,” Tiler said.

He really found a passion for it when he started college at UC Merced and took an introduction to finance class.

He joined an investment club on campus, and in 2022, when the college became the pilot program for the UC Investments Academy, he joined that too.

“I probably wouldn’t be in the position I am now without the investment academy,” Tiler said.

The UC Investments Academy launched at UC Merced, but has since grown to nine UC campuses across the state.

Associate Teaching Professor Justin Hicks says there are no prerequisites and students can join at anytime.

“This is open to everyone, every major from freshman to senior and even super senior,” Hicks said.

It offers two different programs.

A personal finance track geared toward anyone who wants to learn about investing and the industry, and a career track geared toward technical training and education for those who want to pursue a career in the financial industry.

Both programs are flexible and completely free.

Students are given access to webinars hosted by industry professionals and networking events.

For the career-focused students, they receive hands-on training and leads on internships and jobs.

Hicks says they’ve seen the payoff for those students who pursue the career track of the academy.

“We’ve had students at Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America investments, so it’s really creating this amazing network opportunity for our students,” Hicks said.

Tiler says he landed his first internship through the academy and went on to pursue a second internship.

After graduation, he was able to immediately land a job and now works as a client account manager, helping institutional investors.

“It definitely had a great impact on me. I wouldn’t be here without them, and like always, always grateful for the investment academy,” Tiler said.

Overall, more than 4,500 students have engaged with the UC Investments Academy.

You can find more information about it by clicking here and here.

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