Building Success Through Presence: Levi Pettit on Why Office Culture Matters

As remote work options expand across industries, CFA® charterholder Levi Pettit advocates for a more traditional approach to early career development in finance. The Pepperdine Graziadio MBA candidate points to crucial learning opportunities that come only from being physically present in the workplace.

Understanding Workplace Evolution

“COVID changed a lot of things,” Pettit reflects on the shifting landscape. “People coming out of undergrad or college who want to pursue finance may find that attractive. However, it’s important for people who [are in] their entry-level job [to] be looking for opportunities where they can be face-to-face with people every single day — in my experience, that’s where I learned and grew the most.”

Starting Strong in Finance

The magna cum laude graduate of The University of Texas at Dallas began his career as an enterprise risk management analyst at Independent Financial, where he encountered unexpected challenges. “I was working in enterprise risk management; nothing in my undergrad prepared me for that,” he recalls. His first supervisor offered wisdom that would prove foundational: “I know that you just graduated, and you think that you have a college degree and you know everything now; but that’s not the case. You need to realize you will need to continue learning for the rest of your career.”

The Value of Direct Access

A significant career shift came when Pettit joined a family office environment, where the benefits of direct communication became clear. “It never felt like I had to talk to a boss, who had to talk to their boss, who had to talk to somebody else’s boss,” he shares. “I could be completely open and honest to even the managing partner about what was going on.”

His role as investment associate provided deep exposure to alternative investments and private equity. “It was an amazing experience,” he notes. “I realized how these high-net worth individuals looked at investment opportunities — not just on the public side between stocks and bonds, but on the private side as well.”

Career Development Today

For new finance professionals, Pettit strongly recommends prioritizing in-person roles. “Unfortunately, I just don’t think remote environments provide that opportunity,” he emphasizes. “If I was graduating today, I would try to find something that required me to be in a seat five days a week, and make sure there was some type of team culture.”

His journey from analyst to investment professional illustrates how traditional office environments, despite their declining popularity, remain essential incubators for professional growth in finance.

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