Paths to take to progress up the corporate ladder in a finance career

Finance clerk in office calculating financing with calculator and files. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

It is one thing to have a job and another totally different thing to have a career. There are people with jobs, but they are not in the career that they wished to have. At the same time, it is possible to have a job in your chosen career, but something different to be successful in your work. This is especially the case in professions such as finance and banking. Many people get jobs in the industry but then they have no idea what path to take after that. The end result is stagnation and frustration which of course is not healthy in any way.

For people in the in the field of finance, there are so many career options to consider. The goal is to ensure that you get to the topmost rank that you can attain and become the best in your career. The first thing that you must have in order to take these career paths in finance is the interest. Are you interested in handling the tasks that usually come with this career?

After getting the job what next?

As a graduate trainee, you may easily land a managerial position when you get a job. There is of course the ‘fast-track’ training that you will have to undergo in order to get this position. As a manager of any financial institution, you will be in the line-up to become a vice-president in the institution. This path brings with it some serious challenges, but then as aforesaid, if you have the interest, you will not mind at all.

There are also investment analysts who take up the path to become fund managers. In a world where everyone wants to invest, you should not have a problem getting a job as an investment analyst. Even the increasingly popular local lenders need these professionals to help them determine the most viable investment options. They also want to find out whether people have what it takes to give them that cash advance. As an investment analyst, you can proceed to become a fund manager before proceeding to an associate position, which ultimately leads to the vice-president position.

Accountants are a very important part of a business. They work on the transactions of the business and track the flow of money. Accountants usually move into a senior accountant position before getting into either an auditor or financial controller position. After attaining a chartered status, they can then seek opportunities that take them to the role of a finance director.

Any expected changes?

Basically, these are the most common paths that financial professionals follow. Each company has its own advantages and disadvantages. It is important to take some time and select the right industry to work in. Finance is in all industries. There are those who work in the agricultural industry and others in the manufacturing industry. It is up to you to select the industry that you feel works best for you and has the right level of career progression available for you to take advantage of.

Bio

Eunice Frey is a human resource manager and blogger. She writes about popular fields of finance and has been tracking the business of local lenders and the cash advance programs that they run for a while now. She finds it to be one of the best ways to get funding for any kind of project.