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How to Get Into Finance

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Recently we discussed what finance professionals do, and today we’ll cover what you need to do to launch your career in finance.

In this post, we’ll explain why you might want to consider getting into finance in the first place, what responsibilities you’re likely to have while working in the field, why it’s so important that you get a degree before attempting to break into the industry, and what else you can do to improve the chances of achieving a successful lifelong career in finance.

If you like working with numbers and you want to help an organization create budgets, interpret financial statements, improve profitability, and achieve financial success then you should pay close attention to this post, because finance might just be your ideal career.

After you’ve learned everything you need to know about launching a career in finance, fill out our information request form to receive additional details about our 100% online Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, and our online Master’s Degree in Finance

If you’re ready to get started, submit your application today.

Is Finance a Good Career Field?

Yes, finance is a great field for launching a career, and there are three excellent reasons to think about becoming a finance professional:

  1. The field is growing, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimating that the employment of financial analysts will grow 6% between 2020 and 2030, and that the employment of financial managers will grow 17% during the same time period.
  2. Finance professionals play an absolutely critical role at virtually every modern organization, as they’re responsible for developing core financial strategies that help drive organizational success.
  3. Top industry jobs offer excellent compensation, including very high average annual salaries.

What do Finance Professionals Actually Do?

That depends. Finance professionals are responsible for a wide array of tasks, from creating budgets to analyzing investment risk to drafting financial reports and even building financial statements.

But most finance roles will share several key tasks, and below you’ll find a list of some of the most common responsibilities for finance professionals:

  • Assessing clients financial status and making actionable recommendations
  • Understanding and managing financial risk
  • Security analysis and portfolio management
  • Apply pricing and uses of standard derivative instruments
  • Gathering and analyzing data
  • Confidently present research and analysis in a logical and coherent manner
  • Development and nurturing business relationships with clients

To give you a bit of a better idea of what you might do on a day to day basis, here are some of the specific skills you may develop during your career in finance:

  • Calculating debt repayment schedules.
  • Estimating and managing financial risk.
  • Implementing cash management strategies.
  • Applying legislative, regulatory, and industry principles to financial scenarios.
  • Assessing client and organizational financial status using interview and data gathering skills.

Whether you choose to remain a finance generalist, or you want to develop your expertise in a specific area of finance, the best way to ensure that you’re prepared to be successful in this challenging industry is to first complete an accredited finance degree program.

Do I Need a Degree to Get Into Finance?

Probably. BLS says that candidates typically need a bachelor’s degree in finance, business, or a related field to become a finance professional, and they also point out that some finance management roles will also require a master’s degree.

While you might be able to get an entry-level job in the industry without a degree in finance, the work will be more administrative, and you may have difficulty advancing your career in this competitive field without an actual degree.

If your objective is to launch a finance career and eventually move up the ladder into more senior-level positions, especially roles in finance management and leadership, then you’ll want to complete a degree.

Getting your degree is the perfect way to develop the foundational knowledge, skills, and abilities you’ll need to provide real value to an organization as a finance professional, and it’s also one of the best ways to improve your marketability for finance jobs.

Simply put, when organizations are hiring for finance roles, they’re almost certainly going to prefer applicants who list a relevant finance degree on their resumes.

What Can I Do With a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance?

Earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, like the one offered by CSU Global, will make you eligible for entry and mid-level industry roles, including positions like:

This is just a very short list of some of the most common jobs for finance program alumni, and in reality, you’re likely to be eligible for hundreds of different industry positions after completing a degree in finance.

One other thing to note is that the manager-level positions listed above probably won’t be accessible to you immediately after completing a bachelor’s degree, as they’re also likely to require some actual experience working in the industry.

What Can I Do With a Master’s Degree in Finance?

Completing a Master’s Degree in Finance will give you a much better chance of landing senior-level jobs, leadership jobs, and management jobs in finance, as well as acquiring finance jobs serving in more specialized roles.

Some of the more common jobs for Finance Master’s program alumni include:

To be clear, not everybody needs a master’s degree to achieve a successful career in finance, but if you’re looking to land a role in leadership then you should consider completing your Master’s in Finance.

You may even want to think about earning a finance certification, or several of them, as there are all sorts of options for further enhancing your skills and abilities.

Indeed suggests that finance professionals consider the following certifications:

  • Certified Financial Planner (CFP)
  • Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
  • Financial Risk Manager (FRM)
  • Energy Risk Professional
  • Certified Management Accountant
  • Chartered Financial Consultant
  • Certified Fund Specialist (CFS)
  • Chartered Investment Counselor
  • Chartered Market Technician
  • Certified Public Accountant and Personal Financial Specialist
  • Certified Investment Management Analyst
  • Certified Treasury Professional
  • Chartered Life Underwriter
  • Certified Healthcare Financial Professional
  • Chartered Economic Analyst

While you can launch your career in finance without a master’s or any certifications, they may make it easier to advance your career past entry-level roles.

Should I Get My Degree in Finance Online?

Yes, you should certainly consider getting your Degree in Finance online.

Why? Because online degrees tend to provide more freedom and flexibility than in-person programs.

In fact, CSU Global’s accelerated finance degree programs offer maximum flexibility, since they were designed to be completed online.

To make our finance programs as convenient as possible, we provide several excellent benefits, including:

  • No requirements to attend classes at set times or locations.
  • Access to monthly class starts.
  • Accelerated, eight-week courses.

Thanks to these benefits, studying online with us may make it much easier to juggle your studies with existing work and family responsibilities.

If you’re looking to get your degree, but you’ve already got a fairly busy schedule, then you should think about studying online with CSU Global.

Why Should I Choose to Study Finance at CSU Global?

CSU Global’s online Finance Bachelor’s and Master’s programs prepare students to meet the challenges they’ll face working in the field of global financial services.

Our programs are regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, and the Master’s in Finance is also accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).

These programs were designed to be completed 100% online, offering you the flexibility you need to complete your educational pursuits without sacrificing existing family and career responsibilities.

Reasons to Choose our B.S. in Finance Degree

CSU Global is an excellent choice if you’re looking for an online college for finance. Our program will help you develop essential skills to work in this competitive industry, including:

  • Foundations of financial management.
  • Fiscal decision-making skills.
  • Technological approaches to business challenges.
  • Understanding financial risk.

Also, when choosing the CSU Global Bachelor’s in Finance with a Financial Planning specialization, you’ll be in one of just a few programs in the country that is recognized by the CFP Board®. Those who earn a CFP Board-recognized degree are distinguishing themselves among their peers by meeting CFP Board’s education, examination, experience and ethics requirements. Completing this program also means you’ll have met the education requirement for CFP® Certification Examination administered by the CFP Board.

Finally, with our accelerated schedules, monthly class starts, no set class times, and 100% online degree formats, this B.S. in Finance program lets you earn your degree on your schedule.

Reasons to Choose our M.S. in Finance Degree

Completing our Master’s Degree in Finance is designed to hone your leadership, analytical, and operational skills to give you a competitive edge in this challenging industry.

This program is widely recognized as a top-ranked program and has won several well-respected rankings, including:

  • A #1 ranking for Best Online Master’s in Finance by Best Masters Programs.
  • A #2 ranking for Best Online Master’s in Finance Degree Programs by Intelligent.

Our M.S. in Finance alumni also report finding impressive real-world success one year after completing their program, with a median salary that is 6% higher than the national average for all master’s degree holders.

CSU Global itself has also recently won several important awards, including:

Finally, we offer competitive tuition rates and a Tuition Guarantee to ensure that your affordable tuition rate won’t increase for as long as you remain enrolled as a student, which protects you from the rate hikes that are common at other schools.

To get additional details about our fully accredited, 100% online Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, or our top-ranked online Master’s Program in Finance, please give us a call at (800) 462-7845, or fill out our Information Request Form.

Ready to get started today? Apply now!