Related Career Categories

• Credit Counselor
• Finance Manager
• Financial Advisor
• Financial Analyst
• Financial Planner
• Pension Analyst

School and Career Surprises: Tips From People on the Job

Career: "I was surprised to discover just how deeply important a liberal arts education has been in my career analyzing nonprofit effectiveness. When you choose a field that is relatively new like optimal philanthropy, almost every aspect of everything that you do requires a great deal of judgment which the various seemingly unrelated aspects of my education provided so very well."

Career: "In my field of work, you it would expect it to be strenuous and be subject to high stress levels. It is actually the complete opposite being a analyst allows me to come in contact with many different people groups. It has been a great benefactor in aiding me in my quest for appreciating other cultures and has made me very intuitive on global markets and awareness."

Best & Worst Things About This Career

"The best part of the job is getting to help people get the credit that they need. Being able to resolve the problems that they face in the application process is a lot of fun and rewarding. It is fun to be able to figure out what the problem is and to be able to fix it. The worst part of the job is dealing with the irate customers who are not happy with the decision that was made. Some people feel that the credit line is less then they deserve and do not understand that we are in a business that needs to limit its risks. Getting yelled out on the phone is never fun."

"The toughest parts of the job are time and people. Time because the job is 24/7 so you need to be available and be informed all the time. Internal systems for the most part are batched outside the US, Europe and Japan. And information is only as good as the terminals. People because there are never enough qualified individuals to manage all the stuff on our collective plates. Training and retention of people are key attributes for a manager."

"The best part of my job is helping the Regional Managers and President of the company review all of the data in an organized way. My reports help to improve things at our communities that we manage. They help us to see if we need to raise rental prices, if we can lower expenses or if things need to be changed. I enjoy putting the data in a great spreadsheet, figuring out new formulas and creating nice charts and graphs. The worst part of my job is that it can sometimes get a little boring. A lot of the reports I do have to be done each month, so sometimes those get a little dull. However, I always have new projects to work on new things that I get to work on."

"I like the variety of customers and proposals. I also enjoy not being tied to a traditional accounting or finance calendar ("close"). I like having very intense bouts of work: deadlines and pressure to perform. But I also enjoy having down time since not every day is intense and full of deadlines. I don't like office politics that come with any job in any company, but I deal with it. I also do not like the documentation aspect of my job. But it is important enough so I try and make sure I do it as well as possible."

"The work can be fulfilling. You will get out of it what you put into it. The people you work with will make it enjoyable. There is a great feeling of camaraderie with your colleagues. The hours can be long and go late into the night. It is dependent on the season and the job type, but there will be overtime involved. For some people, the travel can become too burdensome, especially those with families."

"The best part of my job is working with numbers. I like to be able to analyze reports and to research differences. If two reports are supposed to balance and they don't, there's always a reason and I like trying to find it. I also like the fact that I can plan my day on my own, setting my own priorities. The worst part about my job is when Paris gives me a deadline for submitting a certain report and they don't take into account U.S. holidays. Paris doesn't celebrate the Fourth of July; so if they want a report on July 4, I need to work on that holiday to get it done."

"The best part of my job is that I get to use my math skills a good portion of the day. I love math and working with numbers all day is fun for me. I love trying to find out why something is not working when I am trying to run a test. I spend a good part of my day trying to solve a problem, such as checking and analyzing data to determine if the test results are reasonable and accurate. The worst part of my job is the volume of work during our busy season. We typically work every weekend from January through March 15th. We work late each night, and we are dependent on our computer systems and clients to complete the testing in a timely manner. So it can be stressful during our busy season and our personal lives tend to take a back seat during this time"

Tips for Succeeding in This Career

"This is a job that requires a person to make decisions, and you can not be afraid to make them. Not every choice will be perfect, but you have to be able to trust your instincts and training. It is wise to try to learn as many different aspects of the job as possible. The work varies depending on the time of year, and people who are cross trained will always find work to do. This job requires a tough skin. It is nothing personal and you need to realize that people on the phone are not always angry at you. Learning proper phone skills and being able to communicate effectively is very important."

"1. To work in a global business you need to know geography and history. Most people are proud of their country and you will win kudos if you know more than how to order from a restaurant menu. 2. Read widely and from varied sources. Too many Americans are happy with the US media's view of the world, which is how they make their money but not how you can know and understand global trends. I've always found the "Economist" to be the best weekly magazine. 3. Take a course in accounting or finance to learn the language of business. Most of what you learn in business is on-the-job, but it helps if you don't need a refresher course in terminology walking in the door."

"While my actual position may seem a little boring, my field is actually very fun. Property management can be great. There are a lot of courses now to train for property management jobs. Taking those courses in college would be helpful."

"Learn the technical aspects of what you are trying to help sell. Just because you are in a finance job does not mean technical knowledge is irrelevant. The more you know about product(s), the industry you are in, the industry you are selling to and the systems your company uses - whether spreadsheets alone or multiple integrated software systems - the more valuable you will be."

"Be sure to practice your presentation and speaking skills. These do not come to every person naturally, and, more importantly, everyone can benefit from repeated practice. Writing skills are also important. There is a different tone in which to write for every occasion and it pays to know which those are. For your own enjoyment, take courses in what you are passionate about doing. This type of work does not need specialized knowledge, but only well-rounded people."

"Be sure that you enjoy paying attention to detail; working with numbers often means getting very detailed. It is not a job where shortcuts can be taken. Also, take accounting courses. A degree in accounting may or may not be a job requirement (for me, it wasn't, because of my job experience), but you need to have a working knowledge of accounting to perform the duties. I went back to school to take accounting classes when I realized that I wanted to be promoted within the organization. Develop a good knowledge of Excel, as it is the basis for so many reports."

"My advice is that in order to be happy with this career choice, you should meet some if not all of the criteria listed next. You should have strong math skills and enjoy solving problems. You should also have good communication skills as you will be speaking with your clients each day, explaining what information you need them to provide to you in order for you to complete the tests for them. Strong organizational skills and being detail-oriented will help you to succeed in completing projects prior to deadlines."