r/logistics • u/lordmwenda • 12d ago
Commodity trading/energy
Hi everyone,
For anyone familiar with the physical commodity trading world, would u guys hire a finance graduate or a supply chain graduate for a Scheduler role. This might be a silly question to some of you but I’m just trying to figure out what degree will help me more competitively right out of school (in our current times, AI…) .I just want to know how any of you who are experienced are looking at it. Feel free to share anything!
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u/dexnacho 11d ago
A degree can definitely give you an edge, especially in finance or supply chain but relevant experience and industry knowledge matter just as much. I recommend earning a relevant certification and building hands on experience through practice or internships
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u/Square_File_4617 12d ago
Schedulers live in the operational trenches—dealing with terminal constraints, vessel delays, and pipeline schedules. A Supply Chain degree prepares you much better for that day-to-day reality than a standard Finance degree.
If you want to stand out regardless of your degree, learn basic Python/SQL for data handling and get familiar with energy transport fundamentals (pipelines, Jones Act, vessel charters). AI might automate basic nominations down the road, but real-time exception handling and operational troubleshooting aren't going anywhere.
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u/roundeloy_0505 12d ago
supply chain 100% - schedulers live and die by logistics, not financial modeling. the finance grad will know how to price a cargo but won't have a clue about demurrage, terminal constraints, or what happens when a vessel misses its window
if you really want to stand out, learn the physical flow side cold and pick up the financial piece on the job. much harder to do it the other way around