Finance is one of the most sought after and lucrative career paths for many business school students. It is estimated that almost 30-40% of any graduating class in the business school graduates with a focus on finance. When you think about it the reasons are not too hard to find. The demand for graduates with a finance degree is never going to diminish, except for the unusual dip that was experienced after the Great Recession of 2008-09. These finance experts are needed by all types of companies in all geographies. Finance is an incredibly broad topic to study, yet those who graduate with finance degrees typically stick to one of two career paths – accountancy or investment banking.
Whilst there’s nothing wrong with these very interesting, often quite lucrative, occupations, it’s worth knowing what other job prospects are available to Finance graduates beyond what you can call bank jobs. Whether you’re starting out, or changing your career path, you may be surprised at the range of careers finance courses can prepare you for. Here are just a few careers worth considering:
Management Consultancy
If your interests lie beyond the world of stocks and shares, the corporate business world is always in need of financially-minded problem solvers to whip companies into shape. Finance graduates with an interest in business make fantastic management consultants, analysing the work of large companies and provide suggestions on how they can increase their return on investment.
Political Advisor
Just as businesses need chief financial officers, the governments also need experts with finance background. Even if you are not particularly ‘political’, a job in the Treasury is a rewarding and interesting way to use your degree for a meaningful change. There are two routes a finance degree can take you in the political arena – you can become a financial adviser to a political party, or you can be a civil servant, and therefore stay outside of party politics. Either way, you’ll use your degree in a way that has the potential to change millions of lives.
Marketing and Advertising
Although finance isn’t often considered a ‘creative’ degree, there are plenty of jobs available in creative firms. A finance degree will teach you to process information in large amounts, and to glean the salient information. Market research and other forms of marketing are not only profitable lines of work but are also extremely interesting. With the rise of online marketing, PPC and CPM advertising are based almost exclusively on the link between a customer’s interests, and the probability that they click on a particular advert. Although this field is relatively new, it is extremely well-paid, and dovetails with the skills learned in a Finance degree.
So, if you want to avoid the usual path of a finance graduate into investment banking or accountancy, fear not. Rather than thinking of your degree as teaching you a set of vocational information, consider the transferable skills. Information-processing, ability to deal with data, and critical thinking are all extremely valuable in a wide range of jobs. Choose a job based on your interest, not what you think you should do. That way, you’ll be on a career path that will lead you to somewhere you’ll enjoy in the long-run.
