Is 30 Too Old to Learn Financial Modeling?

You may have heard that you can’t learn new skills once you reach a certain age, but according to psychology research, this is a myth. Not only is it 100% possible to learn a new skill in your thirties—but continuous learning can actually reinforce your cognitive health. Learning financial modeling in your thirties can improve your financial future and provide you with tools to adapt to changing times. In addition to debriefing you on the benefits of learning financial modeling after thirty, this article will delve into how long you can expect the process to take and dole out suggestions for how to learn financial modeling quickly and easily. 

Why Learn Financial Modeling at 30?

Financial modeling is a versatile skill that furnishes a multitude of benefits for learners of all ages. On top of empowering learners to grow their financial capacities and even start new careers, financial modeling skills can enrich mental and physical health. 

Improved Finances

The skills you learn in a financial modeling class can help you upgrade your financial circumstances, whether through budgeting, smart investments, or informed business decisions. Even if you only learn a small amount about financial modeling, the increased financial vocabulary you gain will enable you to make wiser financial decisions. Over time, you’ll be more capable of building wealth and maintaining financial stability. 

Career Opportunities

Versatile beyond measure, financial modeling is used across many industries, where hiring managers are looking for workers with financial modeling skills to take on projects of all sizes. In consequence, financial modeling careers can earn a comfortable living and certainly beat high-stress minimum-wage jobs when it comes to job satisfaction. 

Health Benefits

Psychology research shows that people in middle to late adulthood are as good at learning new skills as younger people. What’s more, regularly learning new skills can keep your brain running like a well-oiled machine as you get older. If you choose to learn financial modeling in a class, your mental health will also benefit from new social connections. With loneliness affecting more adults than any decade in the past thirty-some-odd years, more people are suffering loneliness-related health consequences such as heart disease, stroke, and dementia. Even if you don’t form a forever friendship in your class, small interactions with people in a class can lift your spirits and improve health outcomes. 

Any class can offer you these benefits, but financial modeling courses also have several unique health benefits that other classes don’t. In particular, by empowering you to improve your financial circumstances, financial modeling can reduce stress and its associated health risks. 

New Experiences

It’s not uncommon to find your present lifestyle unfulfilling, particularly if your routine is repetitive and doesn’t stretch you in the right ways. You might have plenty to be thankful for, but just feel the need for something new, and that’s perfectly normal. In fact, taking time to enjoy new experiences is a time-tested strategy for combating burnout. While financial modeling might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it can actually be a lot of fun if you’re a detail-oriented enjoyer of spreadsheets. Just imagine turning your financial data into a pie chart for the ages.

How Long Will It Take to Learn Financial Modeling?

The timeline of your financial modeling learning journey will depend greatly on what you want to be able to achieve using financial modeling. As a result, your training timeline will be unique to your goals. That said, as a general rule, you can start applying financial modeling basics within a few hours of learning. In contrast, it can take a few weeks or months of dedicated study to prepare for a financial modeling career and several years to become a respected financial modeling expert. 

The biggest reasons it takes so much longer to gain professional expertise are twofold. The first is that most beginner projects can be completed using basic Excel skills, while professional projects often demand advanced skills in multiple technologies along with soft skills such as professional communication. Moreover, professional financial modeling requires a background in corporate finance and a more substantial understanding of financial concepts. The second reason is that most vocational training programs incorporate professional experience into their training to make it easier for you to get a job upon graduation. 

Circumstantial and temperament factors can also have a hand in how quickly you can learn financial modeling. In particular, you’ll learn financial modeling faster if:

• You have more interruption-free time available for study and practice.
• You already have experience with Excel and accounting.
• You’re detail-oriented and good at math.

Ways to Make Learning Financial Modeling Easier and Quicker

Participating in a live class will help you learn financial modeling with more speed and confidence than trying to learn on your own (or as part of an on-demand class). When an instructor can offer support that’s personalized to your needs in real-time, you can easily identify potential growth areas and correct mistakes before they become catastrophic. Live instructors also encourage you as you learn so that you’re less likely to become discouraged and unmotivated. 

Most often, live classes train you through hands-on activities that speak to all learning styles (visual, audio, and kinesthetic), making them more effective than other training modalities. Instead of just gaining theoretical knowledge of financial concepts, you’ll learn how to apply financial modeling skills you can use in your real life (or career) for practical gain. 

As a way to improve access to financial tools, many financial modeling classes provide complimentary access to software, equipment, and labs. If you don’t have your own computer but want to learn financial modeling, you may be able to find a financial modeling class that includes free computer access for participants.

Owing to the popularity of financial modeling, there are many different live classes available these days. These include courses in several formats (live online and in-person) and schedule varieties (full-time and part-time). 

Which Is Better: Part-time or Full-time Financial Modeling Training?

Bootcamps and certificates offer thorough financial modeling training on a much faster timeline than a college degree. In addition to being beginner-friendly, these programs typically offer the flexibility of several schedule options. While both full-time and part-time study have plenty of advantages, which one you choose can have a colossal impact on your learning alongside the rest of your day-to-day life. Knowing the key differences between each style can help you choose the right class. 

Part-time courses were created to serve a busy life, with classes spread out across a larger period. If you (like other over-30s) are already juggling many other responsibilities and only have ten to fifteen hours per week to dedicate to classes, part-time classes may be your best option. Choosing part-time can also be a clever way to give yourself more hours to practice financial modeling outside of class. 

You may have more time than you know what to do with, and if that’s the case, joining a full-time financial modeling class can certainly fill your schedule for you. If you’re prepared to commit to financial modeling the way you’d commit to a full-time job (forty to fifty hours per week), a full-time bootcamp can give you a highly immersive learning experience comparable to an internship. 

Learn Financial Modeling Skills with Noble Desktop

When you’re learning financial modeling in your thirties, the right class can make all the difference. Noble Desktop has a diverse set of finance classes designed for a range of learning styles, goals, and accessibility needs. In addition to short finance classes catered to amateurs, Noble provides bootcamp training that can help you prepare for a finance career without going broke on a college program. With hands-on training from these immersive courses, you can start an entry-level finance job after just a few months. 

If your goal is to prepare for a specific career, such as Financial Analyst, joining one of Noble Desktop’s full-scope certificate courses can provide you with the comprehensive training you need to reach your goal. In the expert-mentored Financial Analyst Training Program, you’ll spend time developing professional-grade financial models for active businesses. In the process, you’ll gain experience with multiple skills, including Excel, market forecasting, financial reporting, accounting, and valuation. These practical assignments will also give you the chance to cultivate material for inclusion in your job portfolio. 

Howbeit, you might prefer a class that covers fewer concepts. If so, classes like the Excel Bootcamp offer focused training in a single skill, giving you more time to build a strong foundation. As you master this multi-purpose office software, you’ll develop the skills to analyze numerical data and create simple data models. With these skills, you’ll be capable of managing basic home and business finances. Having a solid foundation in place will leave you more prepared to take on additional finance skills in the future. A class like this one can easily be stacked with other courses to create a thorough career training plan. 

For example, imagine you’re an aspiring analyst who already knows the Excel skills covered in the Excel Bootcamp. To avoid an unnecessary rerun of your earlier training, you could join an upper-level course like the Financial Modeling Bootcamp. Rather than rehashing what you already know, this course will expand on your existing Excel knowledge, teaching you advanced skills along with how to combine Excel with corporate finance techniques. While producing complex financial models for real-world situations, you’ll gain professional experience backed by a high-quality portfolio. In the meantime, your expert mentor will help you grow your financial literacy and prepare for your future as a Financial Analyst.