The finance industry can be both financially rewarding and personally satisfying because, in certain positions, you get to spend your time helping people. Like many other fields, you will have to apply yourself and work hard to succeed in this kind of demanding career, but the potential for success is worth it.

To get into the field and land any of these positions, you will need at least a bachelor’s degree, although you have a few choices of majors that qualify.1 There are degree programs in finance, accounting, and economics.

Types of Financial Skills

When interviewing for any finance or accounting-related position, you will need to demonstrate several skills, both technical and soft, in order to land a job. Many of the most sought-after skills for finance jobs are also important in other fields. You may well have more relevant experience than you think.

Accounting

Accounting skills include the knowledge necessary to record accounting transactions and a strong understanding of the applicable accounting regulations. You may or may not be preparing financial statements and budgets directly, depending on your position. You don’t need to be an expert accountant because you may have an expert accountant on your team assisting you. But you will need to be entirely comfortable reading and discussing financial statements in order to give financial advice.

Analytical

Analytical thinking means looking at a situation accurately, understanding how it works, interpreting what it means, and then coming up with a thoughtful, intelligent response. This skill has technical applications, such as data analysis or financial analysis, as well as wider applications, such as generalized problem-solving. You will need both.

Technology

Modern technology makes it much easier and faster to find, sort, and process the bulk of the information you need to work in finance or accounting. The downside is that you need to understand that technology in order to use it. Because the available tools continue to change and evolve, a detailed list of technical skills in this area would be quickly out of date.a