Career
Pathways
The Finance Field
The world of finance plays in the matters of money and the overall monitoring of assets. The main concerns of the finance professionals usually remain project funding and risk management - be it a scenario where they work for commercial banks or resource management corporations. In this multi-dimensional field, students pursuing Bachelors in finance major would venture into business, investment banking or international investment.
Students can expect to get a taste of finance with an associate finance degree that even provides enough of a credential for first level of employment in careers like banking, insurance and government. Work at this level involves preparing financial reports and presenting data analysis. For students whose goal is to work first and learn later, online bachelor degree programs can prepare them for management duties.
Students who begin work with an associate's degree in finance generally work in local banks or similar institutions where customer service is a high priority and workers have close connections to the community, its people, businesses, and nonprofit organizations. If working as a teller or an entry-level manager, the best way to advance is to bring additional computing and technical skills to the job, since the internet and technology are now central to becoming a finance banker.
Beyond the associate's degree, the bachelor's degree in finance provides a broad education in funding and investments. At the bachelor's degree level in finance, a student can specialize in corporate finance, buyouts, acquisitions, investments, income securities, and funding. Other options include studying investment management, venture capital, or securities and investments, banking and financial institutions; or international banking -- emphasizing international markets and multinational corporate finance.
With a bachelor's in finance, the corporate analyst will do the entry-level number crunching and financial modeling on which higher-ups will make their decisions. The hours tend to be long and only the motivated survive to collect their bonuses and other perks. Most of the money is in New York, though regional jobs for analysts do exist. In time, with persistence, the financial analyst will get to work with clients, helping with pitches.
As with other banking positions, investment banking can require as much as 70 hours of work each week. Include all-nighters and weekends in the picture. Working in teams, investment bankers help companies devise money-making strategies, including bond issues and public stock transactions. Communication talent is crucial at this level of finance.
At the bachelor's or master's degree level in finance, the most adventurous types can go global. With language skills, international travel internships, and international banking coursework to their credit, financiers can take positions abroad or travel the world for business.
Ambitious bachelor of finance degree holders eventually head for a graduate education in their chosen field, regardless of their locations. Again, online master's degree programs make master's degree study in finance possible anywhere. A graduate certificate in financial analysis also gives junior bankers the additional credential to advance to positions of more responsibility.
