Levi Pettit Offers Career Guidance for Rising Financial Professionals in Dallas
As Dallas continues to cement its position as a major financial hub, with major banks and investment firms expanding their Texas operations, new graduates face unique opportunities in this growing market. The city’s blend of established institutions and emerging fintech companies creates an ideal environment for launching a career in finance.
For Dallas-based finance and investment professional Levi Pettit, who graduated magna cum laude from The University of Texas at Dallas with a double major in finance and economics, the Texas financial sector offers distinct advantages for those willing to embrace in-person networking and continuous learning.
Why Levi Pettit Champions Dallas’s Traditional Office Culture
Drawing from his experience at Texas-based institutions like Independent Financial and Veritex Bank, Pettit emphasizes the importance of face-to-face interaction in Dallas’s relationship-driven business culture. “The young people who want to pursue finance may find that attractive,” Pettit notes about remote work trends. “However, [for an] entry-level job, [they] really should be looking for opportunities where they can be face-to-face with people every single day. That’s where I learned the most — and how I grew the most.”
This advice particularly resonates in Dallas’s financial district, where major institutions maintain significant office presence and value personal relationships. The ability to observe company leaders making decisions and handling day-to-day operations has proved instrumental in professional development throughout the region.
Building a Competitive Edge in Texas’s Financial Sector
For new graduates entering Dallas’s competitive financial sector, Pettit emphasizes the importance of going beyond basic job requirements. He suggests taking initiative through additional education and skill development, particularly given the sophisticated nature of Texas’s diverse financial markets, from traditional banking to energy sector finance.
His own journey through Dallas’s financial landscape exemplifies this approach. While working full-time at local institutions, Pettit committed to studying over 600 hours for his CFA Level II and III exams. “Nobody required it of me,” he explains. “It’s something I did on my own. It was a lot of evenings and weekends studying.”
Leveraging Dallas’s Network-Driven Business Culture
The value of networking and mentorship stands out as a crucial element in Dallas’s financial community, where Pettit’s career progression exemplifies the power of local connections. His transition into family office investment work came through maintaining relationships within Dallas’s tight-knit financial sector – a lunch with a former boss led to an opportunity to help build out a first-generation, single-family office, where he spent four years managing private equity and venture capital investments.
“You’ve got to do it,” he advises. “You have to put yourself out there. Find mentors — I would definitely not be where I am today if it wasn’t for the mentors I have in my life.” This approach, combined with his commitment to continuous learning, has shaped his career trajectory from his early days as an analyst through his current pursuit of an MBA at Pepperdine Graziadio Business School.