Starting a Career in Finance? Consider These 4 Jobs

The following article is a guest post.  If interested in submitting a guest post, please read my guest posting policy and then contact me.

With finance degree in hand, you’re ready to take on the world and you’re headed straight for its capital: Wall Street. You just know that you’re going to be the next Gordon Gekko or Jeff Skilling (without the prison time for fraud).

There are so many other options in the field of finance than the trading room floor. Before you book a one-way ticket to LaGuardia, consider these four jobs.

Investment Banking Analyst

As an entry-level employee, you’re going to have to pay your dues and make some concessions – the main one being salary. Do you think you can get by on a median $69,100 annually?

PayScale named investment banking analyst one of the highest paying entry-level jobs in the US – second only to business technology analyst and petroleum engineer. The best part? This position only requires a bachelor’s degree in business or finance. Your day will be spent advising individuals and companies about investment tools and opportunities. They have the money; you just need to tell them what to do with it. Are you up for the challenge?

Personal Financial Advisor

At a cool $64,750 median annually, personal financial advisors help people on a case-by-case basis plan for the future. This is the path you want to take if you’re looking for job stability. ThinkAdvisor predicts that personal financial advisor will be the fastest growing financial service job over the next 10 years with a 32 percent increase in growth.

Many people seek out personal financial advisors to create retirement plans. As people live longer and pensions become a thing of the past, advisors are in high demand. Baby Boomers were told that they just have to stay loyal to a company and the company would reward them in 35 years, but now that reward is uncertain. You can help them.

Financial Examiner

When someone says ‘finance’ you immediately think New York, but San Francisco is actually one of the top cities to find finance jobs. If you have an affinity for hills, or just watched a lot of Full House back in the day, check out the finance sector there, particularly as a financial examiner.

With an annual median pay of $74,940, the US Department of Labor predicts a 27 percent growth rate in the next 10 years. With your bachelor’s degree in finance or accounting, you’ll start out under the wing of senior financial examiners and work your way up.

What would you do exactly? Well, you would probably work for the government or the banks. Your job is to make sure companies and organizations are complying with laws and/or evaluate the risk of loans. Keeping everything safe and legal is no small feat in those institutions.

Market Research Analyst

CareerBuilder called this title one of the best jobs in finance. For an annual salary of $60,570, market research analysts look at the big picture. Instead of helping one institution, one person, or one investor like the jobs above, you’ll look at an entire industry and field.

From local to national, you’ll observe industry trends and make your predictions for growth or decline. For example: the outlook for video rental and film development is bleak. Don’t start a business in those markets.

On a more positive note, market research analysts look into expanding businesses into new regions, evaluate the probability of success for a new product, and figure out why people make the buying decisions they do. You may have a finance degree, but a little psychology and a magic crystal ball will help you here.

These are really just a few financial job options that are open to you. Your research has just begun. Start by searching for jobs near your area and getting familiar with the titles. Another option is to pick a major company and see what job titles they give their employees. For example, if you search for career opportunities at Fisher Investments, you might find different job openings and duties than at banks or in the government.

Track All Your Accounts With Personal Capital

Personal Capital lets you see all of your accounts in one convenient place.  Sign up now for free.

Either way, you’re on the path to a successful career in finance. Work hard and good luck!