I interned at a hedge fund when I was 16. It was the smartest decision I made as a teen, and it set me on the path to a career in finance.

• Yi Ke Cao did her first internship at a hedge fund when she was 16.
• Cao says the two week stint, though brief, was a pivotal moment in her career development.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Yi Ke Cao, 20, a sophomore at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University. Cao started her internship journey back in secondary school when she interned at a hedge fund. The following has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider has verified her education and employment history.

My parents both worked in finance. When I was much younger, like most kids, I didn't have much of an idea of what my path in the working world would look like. But my folks told me stories about corporate finance and what it was like being a part of the industry. That sparked my interest in the field.

I'm not gonna lie. Money was one of the key draws of the sector, though for me, it wasn't the only thing that mattered.

When it came to looking for a job, I knew I wanted to work for an employer that could give me a positive work-life balance and hopefully a place with a good environment and great colleagues.

That said, I wasn't dead set on working in finance from the get-go. I didn't have any practical experience back then, but I was keen to explore what a career in finance would look like.

Joining a hedge fund as their youngest intern

Unexpectedly, an opportunity to intern at a hedge fund came to me when I was 16.

I was still a secondary school student when I received a list of internship opportunities from my school as part of their work experience programme.

That was when I chanced upon a two-week stint with a Singapore-based hedge fund, Modular Asset Management.

This was during the COVID-19 pandemic, so most of the internships listed were remote positions. But the position with Modular Asset Management was different — it was held on-site.

I figured it would be a great opportunity for me to gain some exposure to the industry and broaden my network.

As part of my application, I sent in my resume and a video introduction. I managed to secure the internship after I was shortlisted and passed an interview with my future mentor and supervisor.

To be honest, I don't think I had the best resume out of the 10 other candidates I was competing against. For instance, I didn't have as many on-paper achievements. However, my mentor said she decided to take a chance on me because I seemed curious and willing to learn.

I started my internship in December 2020 and was the youngest intern there.

Getting over my imposter syndrome

The first few days of my internship were terrifying.

I felt overwhelmed by the new environment. I didn't know what my colleagues were expecting from me because I had no prior knowledge or technical skills to offer.

I did try my best to contribute to the team. I had a foundational knowledge of Excel, but the learning curve was steep. I had to pick up advanced Excel techniques in a matter of days so I could help my supervisor compile profit and loss sheets.

That experience has benefited me to this day — I use the Excel techniques I learned at my internship in business school now.

And though I didn't contribute to major projects at the hedge fund, I was still able to get a better sense of how its different departments worked together.

I got to sit in on strategic discussions between departments and witness part of their decision-making process as traders. I began to see how meticulous and exacting you have to be if you wanted to be a good portfolio manager.

Interning at the fund as a 16-year-old was a pivotal moment in my career development

Looking back, interning at the hedge fund was a pivotal moment in my life.

Besides giving me early exposure to a professional working environment, it helped me confirm my interest in a finance career and solidified my decision to go to business school.

If I could turn back the clock, I would have done more internships as a teenager. Even though the work scope would likely have been limited, it would still have been good exposure for me.

Most people don't know what they want to do for a living at 16. But by interning earlier, I think one can gain a better understanding of the corporate world.