Building A Future In Finance

A successful career in finance is dependent on many factors other than good academic grades from a business school.

A formal qualification in accounting or finance is a starting point. The field of finance is fast changing with continuous improvisation like new accounting standards and auditing norms, finance technology solutions, artificial intelligence and big data, changes in taxation and corporate laws, etc. Therefore, one needs to regularly keep updating his or her domain knowledge and also develop technical and interpersonal skills along with an ability to work and lead large teams.

A typical management program in India is structured to prepare students to face uncertainties and develop an overall understanding of how corporate houses function. In the first year of a management program, students are exposed to all the functional areas of management education which involve papers relating to finance, marketing, human resource, production and operation management, analytics, etc. After this exposure to all the functional areas, a student is expected to do an internship at the end of the first year and choose an area of specialization. In this article, we will focus only on finance as an area of expertise.

Generally, finance covers the core body of knowledge (BOK) which provides students an insight into major areas where they can make their careers. The core BOK is divided into corporate finance and accounting, financial institutions and capital markets, commercial banking and insurance, and regulatory and taxation. Let us look at some of the job options a finance student can select. Many of these roles are financially more rewarding than others. However, a student needs to carry out a careful analysis of his or her abilities, skill-sets, personal preferences, and long-term career prospects before making a decision.

Corporate Finance Roles or Financial Planning and Analysis