by Susan Paige
Are you studying finance, or interested in doing so once you get to college? There is a wide variety of career options for when you graduate with a degree in subjects related to money and accounting. However, you’ll want to tailor your education, extracurriculars, and internships to the specific finance profession you eventually want. Otherwise, it might be difficult for you to land the perfect job you really want–or at all!
Let’s take a look at some of the most popular positions that people with finance degrees can decide to pursue.
Certified Public Accountant
CPAs, or Certified Public Accountants, often work directly in public or corporate accounting, often as income tax preparers. However, there are other specialties, including auditing, bookkeeping, managerial accounting, and forensic accounting.
CPAs with experience can also earn executive positions, such as chief financial officers (CFOs) or controllers. A ton of opportunities exists with Bookkeeper Services from District CPA.
If you want to make your mark on the world as a CPA, you have some hard work ahead of you. First, you’ll need to earn your bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or business administration. In addition, you’ll need to complete 150 hours of education and at least two years’ worth of public accounting experience.
Investment Banker
The term “investment banker” may bring to mind the stereotypical fat cat in a three-piece suit, dining on oysters and drinking his way through a three-martini lunch. But of course, investment bankers come in all shapes, sizes, and genders.
This title simply refers to someone who works in a bank or other financial institution, and who is responsible for investing–and raising–capital. They do so by issuing and selling securities in order to assist companies, governments, and other organizations or entities.
A few additional duties that might fall under the investment banker’s responsibilities are advising, underwriting, providing brokerage services, or asset management.
Financial Advisor
Financial advisors help individual clients with all types of monetary decisions, including taxes, investments, and insurance decisions, in order to achieve both short- and long-term goals for those clients. Many financial advisors are generalists, but other specialize in retirement planning, risk management, or other topics.
In addition to assisting their clients with understanding the risks involved in certain investments or deciding how to handle their money, financial advisors are often also licensed to buy and sell stocks and bonds, annuities, and other financial products for their clients.
Credit Analyst
Earn your degree in accounting, finance, statistics, or economics, and you could pursue a career path as a credit analyst. This profession involves assessing whether or not a business or individual is creditworthy. That means analyzing credit data and other information to determine the risk that the financial institution granting the credit will be taking. If creditworthiness is determined, the analyst further advises regarding the terms, interest rate, and other factors.
Final Thoughts on Finance Careers
As you can see, there are plenty of possibilities when it comes to choosing a career path after earning a finance degree. Take into consideration your interests and personality: do you like to work with people, or would you rather hole up in an office and just crunch the numbers? Do you want to help individuals, nonprofits, or corporations? Do you plan on living in a large city or a smaller community? All of the answers to these questions will help you learn which finance career is the best choice for your future!
So, what do you think ?