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What knowledge do I need to become a financial analyst?
I want to be a financial analyst, but I don't know what I should study in college or what is required. #finance #financial-aid #college #bank
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5 answers
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Pedro’s Answer
It would be helpful to major in fields such as business, finance, or economics. This gives you exposure to a lot of different classes and information you can learn from that can help you in your career. You're able to learn the basics of finance and get some hands on experience through projects and assignments. Being in the classroom can be practice for when you finally get that job. These are all skills you get build upon as they're essential for any job in finance.
However, there should be no pressure in having to feel like an expert in order to be a financial analyst. You do not need to know every single in finance. A lot of the learning will be done on the job and with time. Similar to Evan's answer, aside from having some basic finance knowledge, it is important to be a critical thinker, effective communicator, and eager learner. These are also skills you build on with time either through classes, clubs, or internships/jobs. Aside from your classes, look into different clubs/organizations or internships whether they be related to finance or not. These opportunities give you great experience that make you more well rounded and better prepared for the job of a financial analyst or any other job in finance.
However, there should be no pressure in having to feel like an expert in order to be a financial analyst. You do not need to know every single in finance. A lot of the learning will be done on the job and with time. Similar to Evan's answer, aside from having some basic finance knowledge, it is important to be a critical thinker, effective communicator, and eager learner. These are also skills you build on with time either through classes, clubs, or internships/jobs. Aside from your classes, look into different clubs/organizations or internships whether they be related to finance or not. These opportunities give you great experience that make you more well rounded and better prepared for the job of a financial analyst or any other job in finance.
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Evan’s Answer
Building knowledge is important but as a college student, the most important thing is to be building a skillset. Most of the knowledge you'll need will be learned on the job. But in order to get the job and to succeed at it, you're going to have to develop skills like critical thinking, effective communication and analytical problem solving. These can be learned in many different arenas beyond your typical finance class. Try out classes that are going to challenge you to think differently. Explore sciences, engineering, or history...anything that interests you in which you will have to develop your analytical and/or communication skills. Learn how to write effectively. A public speaking course can be very valuable--you'll apply those lessons in finance or wherever you end up in life.
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Jason’s Answer
You'll definitely need to look at getting a degree in finance or a related field (eg. economics, statistics, etc). There are a lot of firms hiring new financial analysts straight out of college so I would focus on your academics. Try to get a good class standing and GPA from a decent school and you'll warrant them looking at your resume.
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Mitesh’s Answer
To build upon a career in Finance (such as Financial Analyst), it is important to initial have a Business & or Economic degree that has some finance course components to that. You can then choose to do a professional qualification such as CIMA (if your are in the UK) or something similar in USA, EUROPE. Over time there a number of MBA courses that specialize on Finance which can be invaluable when looking to develop a career as a Financial Analyst - Hope this helps.
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Jake’s Answer
To become a financial analyst, I would say you should study finance, accounting, economics, or even data analytics in college. Recently, I've noticed that job requirements for financial analysts are now including data analytics which might be surprising to people.
In college, I received a double major in accounting and finance but being able to work with large amounts of data is something I had to learn on the job. Even if you don't get a major in data analytics, I believe getting a minor in data analytics would be very helpful in landing a financial analyst position.
While in college, you want to maintain good grades and try to have an internship during a summer or two so that you can build your resume and make yourself more marketable after receiving your college degrees. Many companies need financial analysts so the possibilities of where you could work are endless.
In college, I received a double major in accounting and finance but being able to work with large amounts of data is something I had to learn on the job. Even if you don't get a major in data analytics, I believe getting a minor in data analytics would be very helpful in landing a financial analyst position.
While in college, you want to maintain good grades and try to have an internship during a summer or two so that you can build your resume and make yourself more marketable after receiving your college degrees. Many companies need financial analysts so the possibilities of where you could work are endless.