John Cornish Presents at Finance Academy

By Tiernan Massenburg '26

On Monday, April 14th, 2025, Mr. John Cornish, English teacher at St. Sebastian's, presented to the Finance Academy. His presentation centered around core values in the finance industry and high-level career advice.   

Mr. Cornish received his undergraduate degree at Princeton University, where he majored in English. Prior to his current role, he taught English in Malaysia, founded a fintech company, and worked in several roles in the financial industry, including at Soros, a hedge fund, Cambridge Associates, an investment consulting firm, Novus, a financial software company, and finally as an independent consultant.  

  Mr. Cornish began his presentation by asking, “Why go into finance?” He explained that while many are drawn by the potential for high earnings, he warned that wealth is not guaranteed—and the wrong role can feel unfulfilling. He instead highlighted strong reasons to pursue finance, such as interest in business, economics, geopolitics, math, or computing, and outlined the field’s diverse career paths. Mr. Cornish shared career advice, emphasizing that true happiness comes from pursuing meaningful goals with people you care about. He noted that money should be seen as a means to an end—not the end itself—and explained that since more time is spent earning than spending, it's wise to choose a career that we genuinely find interesting and fulfilling.  He further explained that entry-level finance roles can often mean long hours and relatively low pay compared to more senior employees, but much of the value in the work comes from the skills, knowledge, experience, and connections that are gained. Mr. Cornish stressed choosing growth over maximizing pay early on and emphasized the benefit of getting a foot in the door at the right place. He explained that employers value competence, conscientiousness, strong work ethic, and a can-do attitude—someone who consistently gets the job done.  He also advised that while a Finance major is not required in college, employers look for strong academics as a sign of intelligence and work ethic. Success starts with literacy, numeracy, basic computer skills, the ability to communicate effectively, curiosity, and a positive, hardworking attitude. 

Mr. Cornish emphasized the importance of moral education, noting that finance’s money-driven culture can sometimes blur ethical lines. He cautioned that when self-worth gets tied to economic value, it can lead to poor choices. He emphasized that our value as humans is intrinsic and no business goal is worth compromising one's ethics.  To get a head start, Mr. Cornish suggested connecting with family or family friends in finance to learn about their work. He also recommended seeking summer jobs in the field, reading financial news, following markets, and starting to invest early—an index fund is a great start.  

Mr. Cornish closed his presentation by sharing that one of the most important values in business is to build authentic relationships and networks. He explained that our network, especially from St. Sebastian’s, will matter, as it’s a small world. 

The Finance Academy thanks Mr. Cornish for his time and wisdom in teaching us about the Finance industry and providing high level career advice.