Financial Modeling Consultant
Career review from a person working in the job
How I Got The Job
My Education: BA in Finance
My Prior Experience: I worked at a private consulting firm for the past 7 years.
My Job Profile
My Company: My company is a private partnership.
Job/Career Overview: My responsibilities are dependent on the project and the client for whom I work. I perform tasks that they assign to me to help them do their jobs better. The work involves visiting client companies and understanding their problems. We then create a plan and a timeline to complete the goals we set and agree on a price for the work.
I use laptops and Microsoft Office to perform my job. I create many spreadsheets. It is also very common to use third-party financial software. With these, I create financial output similar to spreadsheets except their automated and are able to produce millions of lines of data quickly.
My specialty is in financial modeling, so I often work for companies that need help with their model systems. These systems are vast computer programs that output numbers for financial statements and management reports. It is a large undertaking that often takes a full-time staff of 10-20 people to operate. At times, more people are needed, but it is not always easy to hire people. That is where they turn to consultants such as myself to help them on a temporary basis.
A lot of travel is involved in my job because I often need to visit the company headquarters. These can be anywhere in the country, so I have flown, driven, and taken trains to countless cities. It is exciting to never be in the same place when I work and to see so many new faces every day.
Love It? Hate It?
I rate this career 8 out of 10.
What I Love or Hate
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.
My Career Tips
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.
