Write Your Own Career Ticket With an M.S. in Finance

  

 “You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”

We don’t think legendary children’s book author, Dr. Seuss, was really talking about getting a Master’s degree in Finance when he wrote “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” — but he sure delivered some great advice.

That’s because every business, every nonprofit, every government on earth needs financial know-how to succeed. Think about it: marketing can grow an organization and visionary leadership can fast track it down the right path, but only a solid command of finance and accounting can ensure that an enterprise survives and thrives year after year.

Career Options from Classic to Cutting-Edge

What does that mean if you’re considering a Master’s in Finance? More traditionally, an M.S. in Finance means you’ll graduate with a skill set so universally recognized, so in demand, that you’ll be able to write your own ticket working for Wall Street firms or major corporations.

But today’s Master’s in Finance degrees can also give you an express pass to brand new opportunities like fintech startups, cryptocurrency, risk management, venture capital, actuarial science, AI and streaming service algorithms, professional sports analytics, political campaign fundraising or personal investing.

Better yet, you’ll have the flexibility to try both. For example, one young man on LinkedIn described how two traditional internships led him to Silicon Valley. Working with PwC and the FBI’s Forensic Accounting SWAT Team gave him the proven problem-solving skills to appeal to Google, leading to his current full-time position as a financial analyst for YouTube, based at Google’s Sunnyvale, Calif. headquarters.

10 Insightful Questions to Explore

Clearly, an M.S. in Finance is a dynamic and versatile degree but is it the right fit for you? Making the right decision should be based on so much more than program length and cost. Here are 10 self-assessment questions that we think you should consider. No one, especially young people just starting their careers, will say yes to 10 out of 10 of these. But nodding your head as you read five or more could be a strong indicator that you’ve found your tribe:

1.     Are you good with numbers and confident with quick mental calculations?

2.     Do you tend to scribble on cocktail napkins and track personal info on spreadsheets?

3.     Does data speak to you? When you look at numbers, do you see patterns and stories waiting to be revealed?

4.     Do you like playing detective, solving puzzles and getting to the bottom of questions? Are you tenacious in piecing information together?

5.     Do you like thinking outside the box and trying out “what if” scenarios?

6.     Does work requiring patience, care and attention to detail appeal to you or sound deadly dull?

7.     Are you a team player who likes rolling up your sleeves to help others with decision-making?  

8.     Do you have strong communication skills and the ability to think quickly on your feet?

9.     Do you have physical stamina, and can you maintain mental concentration for hours?

10.  Do you basically like studying? No one loves it, but this could be the most important question of all because to maximize your employability in finance, there may be multiple standardized credentialing exams you’ll need to pass.

 YOU, on the Road to Awesomeness and World Domination

Yes, we know, after those questions, you could use some fun follow-up reading, right?  Check out The Future CPA’s Guide to Life and Awesomeness and The Future CPA’s Guide to Work and World Domination. They’re so clever maybe we should add “comedy writer” to the career list.

Then, as you consider this eye-popping data from LinkedIn profiling the most promising jobs in finance

remember Dr. Seuss again: “Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find, for a mind maker-upper to make up his mind. But when things start to happen, don't worry, don't stew. Just go right along, you'll start happening too!” 

What does that mean if you’re considering a Master’s in Finance? More traditionally, an M.S. in Finance means you’ll graduate with a skill set so universally recognized, so in demand, that you’ll be able to write your own ticket working for Wall Street firms or major corporations.

But today’s Master’s in Finance degrees can also give you an express pass to brand new opportunities like fintech startups, cryptocurrency, risk management, venture capital, actuarial science, AI and streaming service algorithms, professional sports analytics, political campaign fundraising or personal investing

Clearly, an M.S. in Finance is a dynamic and versatile degree but is it the right fit for you? Making the right decision should be based on so much more than program length and cost. Here are 10 self-assessment questions that we think you should consider. No one, especially young people just starting their careers, will say yes to 10 out of 10 of these. But nodding your head as you read five or more could be a strong indicator that you’ve found your tribe:

1.     Are you good with numbers and confident with quick mental calculations?

2.     Do you tend to scribble on cocktail napkins and track personal info on spreadsheets?

3.     Does data speak to you? When you look at numbers, do you see patterns and stories waiting to be revealed?

4.     Do you like playing detective, solving puzzles and getting to the bottom of questions? Are you tenacious in piecing information together?

5.     Do you like thinking outside the box and trying out “what if” scenarios?

6.     Does work requiring patience, care and attention to detail appeal to you or sound deadly dull?

7.     Are you a team player who likes rolling up your sleeves to help others with decision-making?

Yes, we know, after those questions, you could use some fun follow-up reading, right?  Check out The Future CPA’s Guide to Life and Awesomeness and The Future CPA’s Guide to Work and World Domination. They’re so clever maybe we should add “comedy writer” to the career list.