If mathematics has always been your strong point, you enjoy working with numbers, and have a strong eye for statistics and an interest in finance, you may be considering pursuing a career in the financial sector.
As an industry, finance offers a wide range of lucrative career opportunities, with high earning potential, strong job security, and many opportunities for career growth, development, and progression. If you’re hoping to enjoy a future career in finance, there are several different degree options which can help you reach your goals, that you might want to consider. If you’re stuck on deciding on the program or major that you want to study for to get closer to your goal of working in a financial career, here are some ideas that you might want to explore.
#1. Finance:
A degree in finance itself is often the obvious first choice for anybody looking to pursue a career in the financial industry. Getting your degree in finance will offer you a very broad range of learning opportunities that can present you with a variety of different career opportunities in the financial sector, whether you want to work in banking, business, or even in the investment and stock market. If you’re applying for an undergraduate degree and want to choose a program that will give you a kick-start into the world of finance and provide you with a solid foundation for building your future qualifications upon, a finance degree is a great choice.
#2. Accounting:
If the idea of working with businesses is something that interests you, you may wish to consider studying for a degree in accounting. Accountants have a wide range of career opportunities open to them; you may be employed to work full-time by a bank, business, payroll company or other company, or you could even consider starting your own business as an accountant or tax consultant and offer your services to businesses and the self-employed. Accountants are crucial for the good financial running of a business; they ensure that cash flow is running smoothly and take care of all tax affairs, including ensuring that all tax owed is calculated correctly and paid on time. Once you have gained a degree in accounting, you will have more opportunities to further your education with a master’s in accounting such as this degree offered by Suffolk University Online.
#3. Analytics:
If you are interested in financial analytics, this can be a very dynamic and lucrative career to pursue. There are undergraduate degree programs in analytics available, however, many high earners in this sector suggest that for even better employability, you might want to consider first gaining your undergraduate degree in a subject such as finance or accounting, before going on to earn your master’s degree in financial analytics. This gives you a better understanding of finance before branching out and it allows you to gain a qualification that enables you to work and gain experience in an entry-level finance career that will stand you in good stead for moving into financial analytics.
#4. Economics:
Economics is an excellent choice of career for anybody who is interested in not only crunching numbers but also the history and sociology of finance. Economists work by studying financial trends and using them to make forecasts. Typically, the responsibilities of an economist include researching various economic issues, collecting surveys and analyzing data, interpreting and reporting market trends, advising businesses, governments, and other organizations, and recommending solutions to economic problems, to name a few. Many economists work in the federal, state or local government, but you may also find career opportunities in scientific research and development services, management and technical consulting services, and finance and insurance.
#5. MBA:
If you’re looking for a master’s degree option and want to earn a qualification that will help you get a better career in the finance industry, a master’s of business administration could be an ideal choice for you. This is especially true if you are looking for a financial career in the business sector, for example, if you want to work as an accountant or a business economist. This degree is one of the most well-respected and sought-after master’s qualifications around the world today, so in addition to helping you with furthering your financial career, it can be a great option for anybody who may be considering the idea of a career chance into business in the future. And, you can choose to study for an MBA that is geared more towards finance; MBAs in finance and accounting, for example, are available from several reputable business schools and place more emphasis on these areas of study than others.
#6. Unrelated Subject:
Bear in mind that you do not always need a degree in finance or a finance-related subject to pursue a career in this industry. Perhaps you have a degree in a science-related subject or the arts. Although it may not be quite as easy to get a finance career when your degree is completed unrelated to the industry, it is certainly not impossible. Graduate schemes are a great place to start if you are considering switching your career focus to finance. Many large, multinational companies will be willing to take you on as a graduate in almost any subject and train you using their methods. For many companies, taking on graduates who have a good grasp of math and a way with numbers but no previous experience or qualifications in the finance industry is ideal, as it allows them to tailor training from the very beginning.
#7. No Degree:
What if you want a career in finance but don’t want to invest your money in a degree? The good news is that there are ways to getting a career in finance that don’t always involve attending college. You may find apprenticeships to be a good way around this; a finance or accounting apprenticeship, for example, allows you to learn and gain qualifications on the job.
Which pathway to a career in finance would be your choice?