Chemistry majors don’t typically end up running wealth management teams at major financial institutions. Justin Nelson’s career path defied conventional wisdom about finance recruiting. His journey from Tufts University liberal arts student to Managing Director at JP Morgan Private Bank reveals how non-traditional backgrounds can produce exceptional financial leaders.
Nelson started college as a pre-med chemistry major before discovering finance held more appeal. “I was originally pre-med, I was chemistry major,” he recalls. “While science gave me a great mindset for solving problems, I really enjoyed finance.”
The timing proved challenging. Tufts operated as a liberal arts college without robust finance programs. Most graduates pursued advanced degrees rather than Wall Street careers. “Today, Tufts offers a robust program to help students learn about finance and find amazing job opportunities. That didn’t really exist in then 90’s,” Nelson explains.
Breaking Into Finance Without a Finance Degree
Campus recruiting at Tufts focused on engineering positions. Finance students had to navigate the job search independently. Nelson found support from peers also interested in finance careers. “I had a bunch of friends who were going into finance, and they helped me with the application process,” he says.
That network proved essential. Nelson secured an internship at JP Morgan and never left. He later earned an MBA from Columbia University, but his liberal arts foundation shaped his approach to wealth management in ways traditional finance education might not have.
Justin Nelson now leads a 20-person team overseeing more than $11 billion in assets for influential clients across hedge funds, private equity, and real estate. His chemistry and economics double major taught him to synthesize information from different disciplines — a skill that serves him well when advising complex family offices and endowments.
Hiring for Mindset Over Major
The experience influenced how Nelson approaches talent acquisition today. When recruiting for JP Morgan Private Bank, he looks beyond finance and economics majors. “When I’m out looking to hire people, I actually couldn’t care less what your major is,” Nelson explains. “I’m just looking for the right people. You could be a poetry major. If you’re interested in finance and you can demonstrate that to me, great.”
He’s noticed psychology majors appearing more frequently among finance candidates. “I think that having insight into how people think and emotional connection is so important in finance,” Nelson says.
This perspective stems from recognizing that private banking relies heavily on relationship management and emotional intelligence. Technical skills can be taught. Understanding human behavior and building trust takes different capabilities entirely.
Building Finance Programs at Tufts
Justin Nelson channels his unconventional path into mentorship. He returns to Tufts regularly to advise students interested in finance careers, helping create the infrastructure he lacked as an undergraduate. The university now offers a finance minor, dedicated career resources, and strong alumni networks—developments Nelson helped foster.
“I talk to a few students each week, and it’s all the way from freshmen through seniors, people who are deciding, ‘What’s finance about?’ to people who are like, ‘I’m a senior, and I don’t have a job,” he says.
His message to these students echoes his own experience: finance careers aren’t reserved for finance majors. Different educational backgrounds bring valuable perspectives to wealth management. The industry needs people who can think critically, communicate effectively, and understand the human dimensions of money — skills cultivated across many disciplines.
Nelson’s trajectory from chemistry labs to managing billions in assets at JP Morgan demonstrates that alternative paths into finance can lead to senior leadership roles. His success suggests the industry benefits from recruiting beyond traditional pipelines.
