Choices in Finance Education

The finance industry offers a plethora of options to students wanting to join the finance profession.

Today's finance profession is not limited to just the accounting jobs. With the right kind of finance education, a finance student can find himself suitable for a variety of finance roles. Most finance careers require you to be good with numbers and have knowledge of basic business statistics. Let's take a look at some of the lucrative financial education options.

Accountancy: This is the most widely popular financial career. Commonly referred to as a public accountant, you learn about to prepare and maintain a businesses financial records. You also learn about taxation and other financial aspects of the business. Education in this area is very comprehensive, and the exam is considered quite difficult. Apart from public accountants, there are also other specialized fields such as cost accountant, management accountant, and tax expert.

MBA Finance: Another popular area in finance education is the MBA in Finance. This program is at the post-graduate level and is offered by most universities as well as business schools. An MBA Finance degree opens up career opportunities in a plenty of areas, which include banking, financial analysis, financial markets, research, etc. In general, the reputation of an MBA Finance is measured based on his skill level and the reputation of the college from where the program was completed.

Financial Planning: This is one of the most sought after professions in the finance field. As a financial planner, you are required to manage the personal finances of individuals. You are expected to invest people's money in the best assets based on their risk profile and also advice them on various matters such as taxation, real estate, among others.

Finance Certifications: As the finance profession has grown, many new finance certifications have emerged that help students get equipped with very specific financial knowledge. For example, the Certified Financial Analyst (CFA) designation helps you become a financial analyst. There are popular certification programs for becoming risk managers; these are Financial Risk Manager (FRM) offered by GARP, and Professional Risk Manager (PRM) offered by PRMIA. If you are interested in Alternative investments, then you have the option to become a Certified Alternative Investments Analyst (CAIA). There are financial certifications in almost every area of finance.