Jobs in the financial sector are among the biggest contributors to the economy—and it's safe to say that they aren't going anywhere, at least not in a literal sense. As technology makes global finances continuously more integrated, jobs are spreading out, and there are plenty of opportunities available all over the world. Financial professionals also work diverse roles, and there's always room for additional growth and skill-building. A financial advisor with years of experience is likely to have a significantly different day than a bookkeeper who's new to the job, for example.
Of course, it doesn't hurt that the compensation for finance jobs tends to match their high demand. Working for well-established banks or businesses also gives you access to professional training and development opportunities, and some employers can even help you finance your further education. Here are some important factors to consider when looking for a finance job.
Education
You don't necessarily need a four-year degree to break into the finance industry, especially if you're looking for an entry-level or part-time bookkeeping position where you'll mainly just be tracking profits and expenses. Naturally, having a degree does help, even for entry-level positions, and things can get incredibly competitive from there. For higher-level jobs, you'll definitely want to pursue an MBA (Master of Business Administration).
Every year, great internships that offer real-world experience, aren't as competitive as "real jobs," and can even be paid positions are available to finance students. These will generally involve doing routine chores, but they're great networking opportunities and can earn you positive references. Working more than one internship will show a great work ethic, which could be the stand out trait you'll need.
Personal Research
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To have the best shot at finding a good job, you shouldn't just rely on your formal education. Read financial journals on your own time, so you'll know about current events and good talking points. You'll be able to learn plenty of financial jargon this way, which will likely help you be more comfortable in interviews. This should also make you familiar with the most popular companies, so you'll have some places to turn to as soon as you start the job hunt.
It always helps to have a reliable job search site too. With employmenthub.co, you can find jobs across all fields for any level of experience. Common financial job listings include financial advisors, analysts, and financial reporting management positions.
Coding Skills
With job markets as competitive as the financial sector, you need every advantage you can get to stand above the other candidates. Knowledge of programming languages is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after secondary skillsets for finance professionals. Advancements in technology make rapid changes in the financial world, and it always pays to be as familiar as possible with the tools you'll be using on the job. Programming skills can let you automate tedious processes, build your analytical skills, and teach you to effectively manipulate data—all things you'll need to do in a finance job.
Python is one of the most popular programming languages in the world, and it's often praised for its simplified syntax and code readability. This makes it a great choice for beginners. Even learning basic concepts like KeyError Python and how to correct the error message can be useful. A KeyError appears when you attempt to locate a value in a dict (collection of values enclosed in curly brackets) that doesn't contain that value. Programmers can use traceback information to find errors like these in their code and fix them.
Python is a great choice for people who are already familiar with economics and math, such as finance students, since it lets you run complex algorithms easily. Finance organizations often use Python to build their applications as well, so deep knowledge of the language could open up even more job opportunities.
