What was the best piece of advice anyone gave you about getting into finance?

Finance has many different career options available. You can be in sales, in product management, in operations, etc. So it's as good for many personality types.

Finance doesn't require as much intelligence as you might think; rather, the key is to be a good fit with your co-workers. While there are many different personalities in finance, you can expect that the people you will work with are motivated by (monetary) compensation and challenge.

Because finance requires a level-head, you will be working with people who are often less creative than other industries. But they will be capable of tasks that require significant concentration, memory, and quantitative ability.

Be ready to both compete and collaborate, as both are necessary to be a successful part of the team!

The best piece of advice I've received is that your college background and degree should be seen as a key to open your first set of career doors. You may use the knowledge you've gained from your degree in your first job(s), but over time your experience will define what future pursuits you choose more than what your formal education background.

I began as an auditor out of college with a degree in corporate finance. From there, I transitioned into risk management and am now working in portfolio management, which relies on my basic financial understanding as well as a lot of knowledge I've acquired through experience.

Don't stress too much about the specific major you pick, as long as you feel it provides the foundational knowledge of the industry you want to jump into after college - you'll learn a lot along the way, and you should continue to keep learning new things throughout your career! Good luck!

Is money the only thing that makes you interested in Finance or do you actually have genuine interest and curiosity for the field? This question is a lot more difficult to answer than it may seem like and makes you think.

Brent:

During my first week in public accounting, the audit partner for my first assignment took three new guys out for a beer and provided this bit of career guidance that has served me well:

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  Never stop learning. You have a responsibility to yourself, your employer, your peers and your clients to be as sharp as you can be.

  
  


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  Never stop teaching. You have a responsibility to your profession and your team to spread the things you learn to others.

  
  

Regardless of the specific jobs that you may hold, learning & teaching will always be involved!

Good luck,
DRH