Have you ever considered a career in finance? This broad and varied career offers many routes into a huge range of different positions; it’s fast-paced, interesting and guaranteed to keep you on your toes. Here’s what you need to know about a finance based career.
What Skills Suit This Career Path?
Are you a quick and analytical thinker? If so, a career in finance may well suit you. When you work in finance, you need to be able to yield consistent results; It’s you’re more of an abstract or creative thinker who prefers to play with ideas rather than facts, then it might not be your ideal career path. However, if you’re very logical and have great problem-solving abilities, then finance based roles will suit you to a tee. Some people are naturally more suited to this kind of career because of the way their brain works, however, it’s not to say you can’t learn these skills with hard work.
What Positions Are Available in This Career?
A career in finance could mean anything from corporate planning to bank staff to accountancy to investments or working as a portfolio manager- learn more about this here. It could involve working with individuals, with companies or with banks. Every industry will have a range of finance jobs too. So if you have a particular interest in a certain industry, you could aim for a finance role relating to this. There are sites where you can search for your most suitable finance jobs to work out exactly what you want to do in the field.
What Background Skills and Education Are Most Useful?
Mathematics, accountancy, economic and business degrees could all be useful for a job in finance. Some degrees will be broad and cover a wide range of finance topics, and others will be more specialized. So take some time thinking about what would best suit your interests, and the career you hope to gain from it.
Do I Need a Degree?
You don’t necessarily need a degree to get a job in finance. This is useful if you’re happy to work your way up from the bottom, and if you don’t have the means or inclination to study at university for years. This way you can start earning right away, even if it’s a lower wage to begin with. You don’t need much knowledge to gain an entry-level position, as companies will have their own training programs for interns. If you show the right motivation and skills and can secure a job, you could start your career this way. While it won’t be particularly glamorous in the beginning, even making copies and writing letters will provide you with much-needed work experience and references required to move up. From here you can work your way through the ranks. High performers are able to get ahead in their careers quickly, so hard work and determination will pay off.
