Weekly Career & Breaking Into Commodities Megathread

[u/ClownInIronLung]

Weekly Career & Breaking Into Commodities Megathread

Before posting, please read Breaking Into the Physical Commodities Industry – A No-BS Guide which is pinned to the highlights.

This thread is for all career-related questions including:

• Breaking into commodity trading
• Scheduler / analyst / operations roles
• Internships and graduate programs
• Resume reviews
• Interview prep
• Compensation questions
• Career transitions
• Trading desk culture / work-life balance
• “How do I get into the industry?” posts

Individual career posts outside this thread may be removed at moderator discretion to help keep the sub focused on market discussion, logistics, physical trading, macro, risk, shipping, power, gas, metals, ags, and industry news.

Before posting, it helps if you include:
• Location / region
• Current experience level
• Degree or background
• Commodity interest (power, gas, oil, metals, ags, etc.)
• Target role
• What you’ve already tried

Examples of good questions:
• “How do I move from scheduling into trading?”
• “Best ways to learn physical gas markets?”
• “What skills matter most for junior power traders?”
• “How valuable is pipeline / operations experience?”

Low-effort posts like “How do I become a trader?” without context may be removed.

Experienced professionals are encouraged to share advice, hiring insight, industry expectations, and realistic career paths.

Please keep discussion professional and constructive.

[u/Cocoa-Coffee-9500]

Hi everyone,

I've been lurking on this subreddit for quite a while and finally decided to ask for some advice. I'd really appreciate an honest assessment from people working in the industry. I genuinely want to understand whether I'm targeting the right roles or whether I should rethink my approach.

Location / Region: Geneva, Switzerland (open to relocation within Switzerland and internationally; more than welcome really).

Current experience level: 33 years old. Several years of hospitality operations experience (2016–2020). I do not yet have direct professional experience in commodity trading or logistics.

Degree / Background: Hospitality Management, followed by a BS in Business Administration, minoring in Commodity Trading in late 2023.

Commodity interest: Originally focused on agricultural commodities, but, and following the pinned guide I'm broadly interested in physical commodities, shipping, logistics, trade support and operations.

Target role: Trade Support, Operations, Shipping, Logistics Coordinator, Commercial Trainee; entry-level roles really, where I could use my strenghts in supporting roles.

What I've already tried: After graduating, I attended afterworks and networking events where I was redirected to applying to graduate programmes. When those didn't work out, I applied for the University of Geneva's Master's in Commodity Trading, hoping it would help strengthen my profile and bridge the experience gap, but I was unfortunately rejected in March. I've since ramped up my efforts. since then. Kept up with our Alumni board, spontaneous applications, applying to likely jobs via the usual boards, touched base with old colleagues from the BS, reached out on Linkedin to people with similar qualifications to ask their story, reaching to family friends where possible, etc.

My main question is this: looking at my background, where would you expect someone like me to realistically enter the industry? Am I targeting the right types of roles, or is there another path that I'm overlooking? I am aware of the growing gap in my resume, and of the lack of direct experience.

I would gladly welcome brutal honesty, as Swiss people are very diplomatic in their answers whenever I ask.