5 Things to Know Before Starting a Career in Finance

  Updated: August 28, 2025  |  Published: August 28, 2025

  By Andre Bradley

A great finance career isn’t a single ladder—it’s a map with multiple highways. If you know where the work is growing, which skills actually get interviews, and how credentials and licensing really work, you can leapfrog your competition. Below I’ll give you the facts (pay, growth, and standards), a pragmatic skills plan, and concrete steps to land your first role—without wasting years.



Key Takeaways (quick-read)

  • Finance isn’t one job. The biggest entry paths are financial analyst, personal financial advisor/wealth, budget/corporate finance, and markets/sales & trading—all with different pay, licensing, and growth. Bureau of Labor Statistics+3Bureau of Labor Statistics+3Bureau of Labor Statistics+3

  • Pay & growth are strong overall, but vary by path. 2024 medians: Financial Analysts $101,910 (9% outlook), Personal Financial Advisors $102,140 (17%), Budget Analysts $87,930 (4%), Securities Sales Agents $78,140 (7%). Business & Financial occupations overall: $80,920 median. Bureau of Labor Statistics+4Bureau of Labor Statistics+4Bureau of Labor Statistics+4

  • Skills that get offers: Accounting fluency, Excel (power queries/pivots), SQL, Python for analysis, plus crisp writing and presentation. Macro trend: employers rank analytical thinking as the top core skill. World Economic Forum

  • Credentials/licensing: Degrees matter, but CFA (for investments), CPA (for accounting-heavy roles), FRM (for risk) can accelerate you. Many client-facing and markets jobs require SIE + Series 7/63 or 66; advisory roles often need Series 65 (or 66 with 7). FINRANASAA+1

  • Ethics & regulation are real career gates. Broker-dealers must meet Reg BI and suitability standards; investment advisers owe a fiduciary duty—know the difference before you pick a path. SEC+1FINRA

1) Choose your lane: the main early-career paths (with data)

Financial Analyst (buy-side/sell-side/corporate)

  • Typical work: building models, analyzing statements, pricing projects or securities, writing investment or management memos.

  • Facts: 2024 median pay $101,910; 2023–33 outlook 9% (faster than average). Most work full time; some exceed 40 hours/week around deadlines and earnings. Bureau of Labor Statistics

  • Good for you if: you love digging into numbers and explaining them clearly.

Personal Financial Advisor (wealth/RIAs/wirehouses)

  • Typical work: client meetings, plans, portfolio construction, compliance documentation.

  • Facts: 2024 median $102,140; outlook 17% (much faster than average); many work beyond 40 hours in client seasons (evenings/weekends). Licensing generally required. Bureau of Labor Statistics

  • Good for you if: you enjoy people-facing work plus markets and planning.

Budget/Corporate Finance (FP&A, budgeting, treasury)

  • Typical work: forecasting, variance analysis, board decks, cash planning.

  • Facts: 2024 median $87,930; outlook 4% (about average). Peak hours around budgeting cycles. Bureau of Labor Statistics

  • Good for you if: you like operating metrics and cross-functional collaboration.

Markets/Sales & Trading/Capital Markets (registered reps)

  • Typical work: connecting buyers/sellers, market color, product knowledge, execution.

  • Facts: 2024 median $78,140; outlook 7%; high-stress environments; often >40 hours. Licensing is standard. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Why this matters: Picking a lane early helps you target the right skills, exams, and projects so your resume looks “built for the job” instead of generic.

2) Skills that actually get interviews (and how to learn them fast)

The core stack

  • Accounting fluency: read and reconcile the three statements, master working capital, and connect accounting to cash.

  • Excel power user: dynamic arrays, Power Query, INDEX/XMATCH, scenario analysis, and model hygiene.

  • SQL basics: SELECT/JOIN/GROUP BY to pull and aggregate transactional data.

  • Python for analysts: pandas for wrangling, matplotlib for charts, basic backtesting/DCF sensitivity.

  • Business writing & decks: one-page memos, tight executive summaries, and clean visuals.

Global trend to ride: the World Economic Forum finds analytical thinking consistently ranks as the top core skill demanded by employers; technology literacy and data skills are rising quickly. World Economic Forum+1

30/60/90-day upskilling plan (self-directed, free/low-cost)

  • Days 1–30: Rebuild two public-company models from 10-Ks; write a one-page “what drives this business” memo for each.

  • Days 31–60: Take a SQL mini-course; replicate your Excel analyses in SQL + Python.

  • Days 61–90: Publish a 5-page equity/credit note or an FP&A budget deck on a portfolio site; include data pull, method, and conclusions.

Real-life example: a recent grad I mentored rebuilt a retailer’s cash conversion cycle, then used SQL to prove inventory turns drove 80% of FCF delta. That project alone triggered three interviews.

3) Credentials & licensing: what helps (and what to skip—for now)

SIE + Series Exams (markets/client-facing roles)

  • SIE is open to anyone 18+; 75 questions, 1h45m; cost $80; results valid for 4 years. To engage in securities business you’ll still need the appropriate Series exam(s) with a member firm (e.g., 7 + 63/66, or 79 for IB). FINRA

Investment adviser & planning roles

  • Many advisers sit for Series 65 (NASAA) or 66 (with Series 7). Check state rules and firm policy. NASAA+1

CFA Program (investments/research/asset mgmt)

  • Recognized credential for investment analysis and portfolio roles; fees typically from about USD 1,140 per exam (varies by registration window). Recent Level I pass rates have hovered in the ~43–45% range across late-2024 to mid-2025 sittings. CFA Institute+1

CPA, FRM, others

  • CPA is gold for accounting-heavy finance or controller paths; FRM signals risk expertise. Choose based on the job you actually want—not as a default.

My take: Don’t over-credential before you’re sure of the lane. If you’re undecided, SIE (broad signaling power) + tangible projects beats a random alphabet soup.

4) Standards of conduct: fiduciary, Reg BI, and suitability (know this before client work)

  • Investment advisers (generally RIAs) owe a fiduciary duty to clients (duty of care and loyalty).

  • Broker-dealers must act in a retail customer’s best interest under Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI), which builds on and goes beyond traditional suitability. Key Reg BI components: Disclosure, Care, Conflicts, Compliance. SEC+1

  • FINRA Rule 2111 (Suitability) still applies where relevant (reasonable-basis, customer-specific, quantitative suitability). FINRA

Why you care: these standards shape how you recommend products, document advice, and get supervised. Violations are career-ending; mastery is career-making.

5) Getting hired: a practical playbook

Targeted materials (1 week):

  • One master resume + role-specific variants (Analyst, FP&A, Advisor).

  • A portfolio page with 2–3 projects (model, SQL+Python analysis, client plan or budget deck).

Precision networking (2–3 weeks):

  • Aim for 50 warm intros and 100 cold emails to alumni and local professionals.

  • Keep it to 5 lines:

    1. who you are, 2) what you built, 3) why them, 4) 15-min ask, 5) link to one project.

  • Track in a simple CRM sheet; follow up once at 7 days, again at 21.

Experience without “experience”:

  • Join a student fund, case competitions, or volunteer as a treasurer for a nonprofit.

  • Do a project-for-hire for a small business (pricing, cash conversion cycle, or KPI dashboard); ask to use sanitized results in your portfolio.

Interview signals that convert:

  • Clear, brief explanations (“In 30 seconds: how this company makes money”).

  • A viewpoint with sensitivity checks (“Base, upside, downside—here’s what changes”).

  • Professional curiosity (“If you could hand me one messy dataset on Day 1, what would it be?”).

Role-by-role cheat sheets (with medians & growth)

FAQ

Is a master’s or MBA required?
Not for most entry roles. Many analysts start with a bachelor’s plus skills/projects; MBAs are common for mid-career switches or advancement to managerial roles. (See BLS education quick facts by occupation.) Bureau of Labor Statistics+1

Should I do CFA Level I before I land a job?
If you’re sure you want investments/research/asset management, Level I can help your signal; otherwise, build projects first and revisit later. Recent Level I pass rates ~43–45%. CFA Institute

What exams do I need for advisory vs brokerage?

  • Advisory (RIA): often Series 65 (or 66 with 7).

  • Brokerage/markets: SIE + role-specific Series (e.g., 7, 79, 63/66). NASAA+1FINRA

What if I’m career-switching at 30+?
Double down on portfolio projects tied to your prior domain (e.g., pricing or cohort analysis in your industry), earn SIE to show intent, and network into associate-level analyst roles.

Final thoughts

Finance rewards people who can think clearly, quantify uncertainty, and communicate simply. Pick a lane, stack the exact skills that lane demands, and show your work in public. If you do those three things—consistently—you’ll stop asking “How do I break in?” and start asking “Which offer should I choose?”

Sources & further reading