Securities underwriter to futures trader
A securities underwriter already meets 71% of what the futures trader role asks for. The move turns on 3 required skills not yet in the profile.
28.9/ 100
1 How much of what a futures trader is expected to do is already part of a securities underwriter’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the futures trader role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A futures trader role treats 7 of its required skills as things a securities underwriter already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse economic trends
- analyse financial risk
- analyse market financial trends
- commercial law
- economics
- financial markets
What stands in the way is 3 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 18 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A futures trader role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a securities underwriter background worth leading with.
- already held operate financial instruments management skills
- already held trade securities communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held forecast economic trends information skills
- already held analyse economic trends information skills
- already held commercial law business, administration and law
- already held maintain records of financial transactions information skills
All 18 carried skills, including the 7 the futures trader role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 7 missing skills fall into 3 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn international trade required
- optional, not held international commercial transactions rules optional
- optional, not held international law optional
- still to learn trade future commodities required
- optional, not held negotiate sale of commodities optional
- optional, not held negotiate sales contracts optional
- still to learn perform financial risk management in international trade required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a futures trader role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 trade future commodities practise this
- 02 international trade study this
- 03 perform financial risk management in international trade practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 18 skills that carry over
- already held analyse economic trends skill
- already held analyse financial risk skill
- already held analyse market financial trends skill
- already held commercial law knowledge
- already held economics knowledge
- already held financial markets knowledge
- already held forecast economic trends skill
- already held actuarial science knowledge
- already held banking activities knowledge
- already held financial forecasting knowledge
- already held financial jurisdiction knowledge
- already held financial products knowledge
- already held maintain records of financial transactions skill
- already held operate financial instruments skill
- already held securities knowledge
- already held statistics knowledge
- already held trace financial transactions skill
- already held trade securities skill
4 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held international commercial transactions rules optional
- optional, not held negotiate sale of commodities optional
- optional, not held negotiate sales contracts optional
- optional, not held international law optional
15 held skills the futures trader role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on financial matters skill
- not needed by the target role apply technical communication skills skill
- not needed by the target role assess risks of clients' assets skill
- not needed by the target role build business relationships skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with banking professionals skill
- not needed by the target role create a financial plan skill
- not needed by the target role handle financial transactions skill
- not needed by the target role manage financial risk skill
- not needed by the target role manage securities skill
- not needed by the target role monitor stock market skill
- not needed by the target role perform stock valuation skill
- not needed by the target role protect client interests skill
- not needed by the target role provide support in financial calculation skill
- not needed by the target role stock market knowledge
- not needed by the target role tax legislation knowledge
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn international trade required
- optional, not held international commercial transactions rules optional
- optional, not held international law optional
Common questions about this move
Can a securities underwriter become a futures trader?
Yes, and it is an adjacent move. A securities underwriter already covers 71% of what a futures trader is expected to do: 18 skills carry over, 7 of which the futures trader role treats as required.
What skills does a securities underwriter need to become a futures trader?
3 required skills are missing, plus 4 optional ones. They fall into 3 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is trade future commodities.
How hard is the move from securities underwriter to futures trader?
Its learning distance is 28.9 out of 100, which is the adjacent band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.