It's never too early to start off, right? Here is a quick guide for the young ones who want to position themselves well in future. Let me know if there's anything I left out – and feel free to contribute with your own experiences.Aim HighI’ve listed this first as it is the most important point. Do not underestimate how important it will be for you to do well at your GCSEs. These grades will not only get you past automatic filters but will also look impressive as well as facilitating what A Level choices you can make. Your competition within investment banking will have flawless grades so you should benchmark yourself against very high standards – by working hard now, you make things easier for yourself in future. In fact, what subjects you pick at A Level will be very important.I suggest picking a wide range which for example can include: Maths, Economics, a Science and/or a Humanity subject such as History. You should avoid picking soft subjects and go for more traditional ones as these will help you break into a top university. By doing well at A Levels/IB and picking the right subjects, it will in turn allow you to access and apply for the target universities: Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Warwick, UCL and Imperial.Whatever subject you want to pick at university (ideally at a target) you should check the entry requirements and especially if there are A Level subject requirements before choosing what to study at sixth form. If you do not think you will make it into a target university then the following universities will suffice (somewhat regarded as semi-targets): Bristol, Bath, Durham, Nottingham, Cass Business School, York, KCL, Edinburgh, St Andrews and Manchester.Extra-Curricular ActivitiesHaving stellar academics will no longer suffice in getting a job or getting you into a good university. You should use this time to be building your soft skills as well as academic prowess. Banks place a very large focus on demonstrated leadership ability as well as team work and communication. The ability to speak a foreign language is also growing in importance.For example, I would recommend any of the following: learning a foreign language; becoming a mentor in your school; learning a computer programming language; joining a school sport team; joining the debating society; the Duke of Edinburgh Award; starting a small business, website or society; volunteering; study/work abroad; entering academic competitions; winning scholarships or other awards that show your work ethic and editing or starting a school blog or newspaper.You should not underestimate how important these activities are – you should place equal, if not more emphasis on these.Keeping Up To DateBy following the news regularly (ideally everyday) you will start to gain a sophisticated and intuitive understanding of the business world which will impress in interviews and on applications. You are never too young to do this and it is so simple you should start as early as possible. The other reason for doing this is that if you come across a term or concept you do not understand, you should look it up and this will also increase your overall knowledge. I recommend the following resources for staying up to date:• BBC News (Business & Economics Section)• Bloomberg• Financial Times• CNBC• Wall Street Journal• Deal Book• The EconomistSome of those sites are subscription based but all include free content which should more than suffice at this stage. However, there is no harm in asking your school or parents if they have some form of access to these sites as well as trying the school library. In most cases, students are entitled to a discount so look out for special deals.Increasing Your AwarenessTo reiterate, if you want to work in this industry then you need to understand it. Otherwise, how can you be sure you are making the correct choice? To help with understanding technical terms and concepts I recommend the following resources:• Investopedia• Mergers & Inquisitions• The E Financial Careers Guide• The Goldman Sachs Capital Markets Guide• Goldman Sachs Overview of Divisions• The J.P. Morgan Jargon Buster• Market Place Videos• Money Week Videos• Khan AcademyGCSE Level Work ExperienceUnfortunately at GCSE level there is very little in the way of formal work experience opportunities. During school, you are required to do mandatory two week work experience and you should take full advantage of this and even build a relationship with the employer to return at a later date. You should also check if your school partners with certain institutions such as IBM or the Bank of England, especially if you are in inner London.Formal ProgrammesHSBC Work Experience ProgrammeJ.P. Morgan Work Experience ProgrammeContactsYou should exhaust all your friends and family for anyone that might work in financial services. These key people can sometimes be unknown to you or exist in unsuspecting places. Try everyone including that uncle you’ve only met twice in your life before. After all, you have probably never asked before so it is unlikely you will know whether anyone in close contact works in financial services or not. In the event there is, you should see if it would be possible to organise any work shadowing for a day or two or any form of work experience from a few days to a few weeks. You should not be fussed on what institution they work at or what division. Any form of experience at this age that shows initiative is a thoroughly good thing.Placement OrganisationsSEO ScholarsThere is often a saying that there is “no golden ticket” into finance but if there was then SEO Scholars are certainly the closest thing to it. If you are from a typically under-represented or under-privileged background (especially ethnic minorities) then I would actively encourage you to apply to this. SEO London will be in a position to give you all the advice, guidance and help you need to secure placements and with university applications.The Brokerage CityLinkIf you attend a school in London (be sure to check what classifies as “London” on the website) then The Brokerage CityLink is likely to be able to help you. They work to advise students on careers in the City and the various routes to get there as well as helping secure small work-related placements.ConclusionAt this stage you really should not worry about what role you might want to pursue in future as this is likely to change and you will have plenty of time to explore this. At GCSE level, the key aspect to focus on is making yourself a well-rounded and overall strong candidate. I’d also recommend exploring many other career opportunities and industries to make sure you are making the right choice. At this stage, you have a lot of time to do research on different career paths – find what genuinely interests you.