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Finance Degree Career Options
Want to know about a rare career in finance you can go for? Finance is a specialized area of study that forms the backbone of each industry or organization. A sound team of financial experts is the key to success for any business. Lucrative as it is, many students take up finance programs at the university level.
The most common finance degree career paths that branch out of the area of finance are financial planning, insurance, public accounting and hedge funds which may further offer you a career as a financial analyst, trader, regulatory compliance officer or quantitative analyst.
Trading jobs are among the most sought after financial careers and can be broadly categorized into sell-side trading jobs and buy-side trading jobs. At the sell side, a trader is employed with commercial banks, investment banks and deals in products such as equities, commodities, or fixed income. At the buy-side, you would be employed with asset management firms or hedge funds and aim to ensure the availability of financial resources and plan adequate returns for your customers by buying and selling of securities.
However many finance graduates may face difficulty in finding a place for themselves in a suitable job. Some of you may have gained enough experience in the field but may end up finding these finance degree career options with a finance degree very monotonous or run-of-the-mill. It is possible that initially you were attracted to the field as it provides a scope for high income and while you still possess an ability to take up challenges posed by the industry, you no longer feel the same passion about the financial markets. The feeling makes you wonder, have you chosen the wrong career?
However, this is not true. Finance is a multidimensional area that allows an array of opportunities to individuals possessing unique skills relevant to this sector.
The horizons of all industries have expanded in the last decade that has given rise to a large number of new types of financial careers that require the expertise of financial specialists. The key is to have a closer look at these positions and see how financial experts can increase corporate worth and decrease financial hazards. One should also align his aptitude and career objectives with those of the job in question to ascertain the most appropriate finance degree career for them.
Besides procuring a finance degree career, aspirants can obtain non-traditional finance major career options if they have an additional qualification in statistics, accounting, economics, mathematics, or business administration.
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Careers in Finance Degree
You must be wondering what do you do with a degree in finance? Let us have a look at some of the less common finance degree career options that the field of finance has to offer:
Forensic Finance Experts
Do you ever look at your finance career degree and wish you wouldn’t have put the detective in you take a back seat. Well, you can still be a detective and a financier at the same time by being a forensic finance. It is a unique careers in finance that combines the thrill and excitement of investigation with your sound knowledge of finance.
You can be employed with a national security organization or with tax and consulting services. Various government organizations have special departments dedicated to Forensic Accounting.
As a special agent with the National security agency, you would be responsible for identifying and bringing corporate criminals to book. These are the people who have committed financial frauds or money launderers, who legitimize the fortune earned through illegal and criminal activities by violating trading laws and financial policies..,
As a corporate forensic expert, you would be required to investigate current or probable criminal financial conduct, misappropriation of funds, and other financial frauds and disputes within companies. You might also need to probe global terrorism, surveillance, and corruption-related issues. The evidence collected during these investigations is used for presentation in the court of law during criminal trials.
Accounting Software Developers
If you have a finance background and also a niche in the field of IT, you can utilize this varied skill set to develop accounting software for organizations. In the day and age of computerization, it is mandatory for all organizations to switch to a platform that enables the ease of technology to attain that cutting-edge perfection.
Accounting software is a computer system that archives and manages a wide range of accounting operations.
As an accounting software developer, you can be a part of a software development firm or also be employed by a company to look after their financial requirements in terms of computer application and develop customized programs.
Accounting software can be developed for comprehensive usage by a particular sector such as for departmental stores, hospitals, or hotels or can be specially designed for a specific firm, business or organization.
Investment Journalist/ Writer
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As a financer, you are expected to deeply understand every aspect of money. But if you are also good at explaining the same to your reader through the power of print, then you can be an investment journalist.
As an investment writer, you can be employed with finance magazines, write the finance column in newspaper or for websites, work for banks to help them develop marketing newsletters, brochures, press releases, etc. You may also be required to create text matter for commentaries, expressing your expert views on current financial issues and concerns. You can also be asked to author books on the subject or produce educational content.
To be successful as an investment writer, you should be able to transform the complex financial terms into readable and easily comprehensible language for the common man, who may be interested to learn, where he can safely invest his money. Besides having the skill to write well, you should possess experience as a financer.
IFRS professional
IFRS or International Financial Reporting Standards is a globally accepted system of accounting to facilitate the formulation of financial statements. This system forms the basic building blocks which lay down the foundation for preparing accounts and enables financers all across the world, to work on a colloquial ground.
As IFRS is internationally acknowledged, there is an impending demand for finance professionals trained and experienced in International Financial Reporting Standards, more commonly known as International accountants or international accounting managers. This system is becoming mandatory for large enterprises that aspire to be listed on an international stock exchange and foray into international markets. Finance professionals proficient in this field, are employed as international experts or as external consultants by companies during the process of up-gradation to IFRS.
IFRS professionals having knowledge about legal aspects of tax pertaining to a particular region can also provide service as financial advisors, and they may be required to travel extensively.
Finance Officer with Defence Services
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Just like any other organization, the Military also requires finances to run all its affairs. Whether it is the payroll of soldiers, purchase of military equipment or funding for various military assignments, money remains at the heart of all activities.
The responsibility of the finance officer with the defense services is to closely scrutinize these expenses and ensure adequate availability of funds in case of any exigency. He is required to assign funds to the various arms of the forces and provide support to the defense personnel as well as their families. On behalf of the Military, he mediates with the various external providers to procure supplies as well as services, formulates budgets, predicts financial requirements for the future, authorizes payments and streamlines financial procedures. He performs audits and prepares financial reports and presents the same to the commander in chief.b Financial planning remains the core of all activities.
The Military also encourages young aspirants who enroll themselves in the services by supporting them in their education and providing special administrative training. A job in the Military is very rewarding as it is not only well respected and highly regarded but you can get promoted to higher ranks.
A military finance officer must be confident and have a strong logical insight to monitor expenditures, have the strong administrative ability, keen observation, and strategic leadership skills. It is also important to have perfect mathematical skills and a great level of comfort with numbers.
Finance Consultant for Start-Ups and Enterprises
A large amount of planning goes while planning a new project or starting a new business. Planning the finances is an integral part of this exercise as the ultimate objective for any enterprise is to turn it into a profitable venture. Business acumen, forecasting and budgeting are the key strategic skills required to plan the finances, that an entrepreneur may not necessarily possess. This is where the role of a finance expert comes into picture.
These finance professionals have a keen eye to identify profitable investments, balance cash flow and working capital proficiently and to isolate the potential risks for various business projects to drive performance. This enables enterprises to overcome obstacles and achieve revenue objectives.
Financial consultants develop personalized strategies for savings, taxes, investments and insurance and may also provide guidance on buying and selling of stocks and bonds for their clients.
The services of these consultants are also required by banks, investment firms or for consulting companies that deal with particular businesses or industries to take care of their financial requirements. These consultants have a great scope of earning.
Be An Accountant With An Industry Of Your Choice
Are you passionate about sports or does your love for the entertainment industry surpasses all your cravings? Are You are an ardent supporter of environmental issues or you have a strong desire to do something for the society? Do you feel that the decisions you have taken along your career path, force you to be in a typical finance job? If you identify with this read on..
It is important for any industry to have their account books in order. An accountant helps to reduce operational costs, improve savings and understands various tax regulations and hence defends the company from unnecessary liabilities.
As a financier, you possess exceptional computing and analytical skills and the knack to construe and calculate financial performance. The key is to be in an industry that motivates you. For instance, as a sports team accountant, you would not only get a chance to be among your heroes but would also crack profitable commercial deals with the media or sponsors for them.
If you are associated with a sports club, you would manage their income and expenditure balance sheet, ensure adequate availability of funds so that the top players and coaches stay with the club, maintain revenue from sponsorships and look into other monetary affairs.
As an environmental accountant, you would be involved with an organization that works for the environment. You would be required to assess and ascertain the financial viability of various environment projects initiated by them. You would also be required to help the organization save money during their green efforts by making them aware of the various government incentive payouts.
If you nurture a cause that is close to your heart, you can be associated with an NGO or if you always dreamed of being in the limelight, entertainment industry is your calling. You can be employed either with the movie production organizations or accounting companies that deal with the entertainment industry and would be required to formulate production budgets and ensure that production is completed within the stipulated allowance.
Conclusion
These are just a few of the off-beat finance degree career options that financers have. A deeper understanding of some other industries would give you a clearer picture of some other roles that a financer can fit into. As most of the traditional jobs in the banking environment are stressful and require you to work for long hours, doing what you like to do the most can prove to be very productive. So there are other finance degree jobs which will are more interesting & can be your type of job too.
It is only when we are in a job that we love, that there are unlimited avenues for success, growth and personal development. Thus, a foray into these non- traditional opportunities and industries as a financer can be very rewarding and fulfilling at a personal level. This can help you to carve your career along an unexplored path and give a new direction to your aspirations. Also, you get an opportunity to give way to your hidden skills and interests that gives you a great feeling of self- worth.
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