More Mergers and Acquisitions Ahead - and What It Means for Your Job

Once again, the race is on as investment firms rush to acquire direct competitors, trade processing firms and industry tech providers. It's a complicated web, but the alignments make sense. Word comes of Wedbush Securities' plan to buy four separate firms - an acquisition push designed to grow its tech side as well as its banking and trading geographic reach abroad and on the East Coast.

So, should you be worried for your job given the recent M&A push? Probably not much if you're working for a firm that's not in the same field as the buyer - such as when an investment bank acquires a tech provider. But if it's one wealth manager buying another, there's always a possibility that heads will roll.

But it's also good to be the king. Working at the bigger player can be a lucrative proposition for those directly responsible for spearheading the combination of forces.

So, what's spurring the recent round of M&As? Trade processing and proprietary technology are growing in importance, so banks and investment firms are buying the IT that's critical to their business. Financial IT pros are going to be in hot demand, of course, but expect those with strong IT abilities and front office experience to take on stronger roles in project management. Whether the job is officially titled technology infrastructure manager or not, there's significant growth anticipated in this particular role.

Money managers are also experiencing a flurry of M&A activity. For foreign players, buying into a new region is a fast and easy way to establish a presence in a new market. The best job ops are to be had for the most entrepreneurial managers ready, those who are set and able to chart the direction of a new operation.