What Can You Do with Finance Skills?

At its root, finance deals with managing money. This includes investing, saving, budgeting, forecasting, borrowing, and lending. Here are three solid career paths to follow with a firm understanding of finance.

• Accountant - This lucrative field is ideal for anyone with a love of numbers, though it is not necessary to be successful. Within a company, an accountant often creates, interprets, and analyzes a wide range of financial statements. Company accountants and management come together as partners to create budgets. Finally, accountants handle the tax matters of a company, including filing returns and planning out tax liabilities.

• Business Development Officer - Companies hire Business Development Officers to develop and execute strategies that lead to increased sales and higher profits. These officers also seek out business opportunities and secure the best business deals. They are responsible for negotiating deals and meeting with potential investors.

• Financial Data Analyst - These professionals analyze data to assist financial institutions in making better business decisions. Among their numerous responsibilities is compiling information from different divisions of a company. These analysts also look for ways to improve the company's current methods of data collection.

Careers that Use Finance

You might be curious about what job opportunities await you after you build your finance skill set. While looking into careers in finance, you'll find seemingly endless options. The more you learn and increase your skills with on-the-job experience, the more options and opportunities will present themselves. From Real Estate Agent to Chief Financial Officer, studying finance is your ticket to gainful employment.

Popular careers for those with finance training include:

• Investment Banker
• Commercial Banker 
• Public Accountant 
• Real Estate Agent 
• Hedge Fund Manager 
• Venture Capitalist
• Chief Financial Officer
• Financial Planner 

As you can see, the future looks bright for those trained in finance. Once you get your foot in the door in any of these positions, you’ll want to work hard, learn the ins and outs of your company, and continue to expand your finance skill set to be first in line for promotions and salary increases.

Why Learn Finance?

The reasons to learn finance are seemingly endless. No matter which industry you work in, your company cannot operate without cash flow for things like salaries and investing in the company. Perhaps your position doesn't manage a budget. Still, finance remains at the heart of business decision-making. If you understand finance and can communicate that understanding, you'll find it easier to acquire the additional funding needed for a project.

Learning finance makes you a more efficient problem solver, looks great on your resume, and is essential to the financial health of your family's current situation and future. Additionally, jobs dealing with finance are in high demand and pay well. Imagine what you could do with a solid understanding of finance and a large salary.

Read more about why you should learn finance.