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No Finance Degree? No Problem! Top 10 Ways To Jumpstart A CareerIn FinanceBy Investopedia Staff on June 24, 2013

A finance or business degree is a prerequisite for most jobs in finance, but what if you don't possess a finance degree and really

want to work in this field? While it is obviously more difficult for someone with a non-financial degree to secure a job in finance than

it is for a candidate with one, there's still hope for the former.

Every employer wants smart, committed and motivated employees who can do the job and do it well. A finance degree will impart

skills such as financial modeling and analysis, but may not do much to provide other skills required for success in almost any job,

such as communication, problem-solving and time management.

The following are 10 ways to demonstrate to potential employers that you possess the skills they desire in an employee, as well

as the passion necessary for a successful career in finance. We will rate each of these by the degree of difficulty to achieve (for

example, signing up for a financial course is easier than obtaining an internship) as well as the positive impact it may have on

getting you closer to your objective of embarking on a financial career.

1. Learn the Lingo

Difficulty: Low

Impact: Low

If you are interested in a financial career, there's no excuse for not knowing the lingo of Wall Street. If you don't know the

difference between dilution and dividend, or between NPV and DCF, consider learning financial terms and concepts by browsing the

extensive dictionary of terms at sites like Investopedia or by reading the Wall Street Journal.

Not knowing the language of finance may make it almost impossible to get past the preliminary interview stage for a non-financial

graduate. That's because an interviewer will generally assume that an applicant for a finance position is knowledgeable about

finance, regardless of his or her educational background.

2. Round off Your Education

Difficulty: Low to Moderate

Impact: High

So what if you graduated with a degree in a subject other than finance? You can always redress the situation by taking relevant

courses with an emphasis on finance or business at the undergraduate or post-graduate level. At the undergraduate level, courses

in economics, accounting or financial analysis are a great option. For post-graduates, the favored option for many is an MBA, since

the substantial finance component of the curriculum serves to level the playing field quite significantly between finance and non-

finance graduates. If the stiff cost of an MBA is a deterrent, other options such as enrolling in the CFA program are certainly worth

exploring.

3. Enroll in Financial Boot Camp

Difficulty: Moderate

Impact: Moderate

Intensive courses by firms like Wall Street Prep and Training the Street can teach you valuable skills that are essential for a career

in finance, such as advanced spreadsheet techniques and financial modeling. These crash courses are quite expensive, typically

running to a few thousand dollars, but have the advantage of not requiring a long-term time commitment, as they are typically

conducted over a few days. One drawback is that due to these programs' intensity, you may need to be familiar with basic financial

concepts to derive the maximum benefit from them.

4. Expand Your Knowledge Base

Difficulty: Moderate

Impact: High

Relevant knowledge is not obtained only through a college degree. There are plenty of resources available, either through your

local library or online, to further your knowledge of finance. These resources may be free or available on a paid basis from course

providers such as those mentioned above. Being self-taught in a difficult field like finance demonstrates a number of desirable

attributes to an employer such as initiative, passion and drive.

How to find the best credit card for your lifestyle.

5. Use a Trading Simulator

Difficulty: Moderate

Impact: Low

A number of financial education and online brokerages have trading simulators that can be used to construct "mock" portfolios.

Using a trading simulator will force you to track the markets and keep abreast of market developments. This is a great way to

impress a potential employer with your trading prowess, or at least your market knowledge, with very little investment on your

part, aside from some time commitment.

6. Complete Industry Courses

Difficulty: High

Impact: High

Completing a relevant industry course, such as the Canadian Securities Course™ in Canada, for example, not only demonstrates

your commitment to a career in finance, but also gives you an edge on the competition in terms of job readiness. This option may

not be available in all jurisdictions; for instance, in order to write the Series 7 exam in the United States, one has to be sponsored

by a member firm, a self-regulatory organization or an exchange. In this case, consider the options mentioned in the earlier points.

7. Maintain a Financial Blog

Difficulty: High

Impact: Moderate

Starting and maintaining a financial blog is a great way to communicate your investment ideas to the world. It is an opportunity to

convey to a potential employer a favorable impression of your diverse skill set, including financial acumen, communication skills and

technological dexterity. This mode of self-marketing is only suitable for those who already possess a measure of these skills.

8. Link up with a Mentor

Difficulty: High

Impact: Moderate

Linking up with a mentor is another way of jumpstarting a financial career. A mentor can be anyone in a position of influence who

thinks highly of your capabilities and is willing to help you achieve your goals. Possible mentors include your favorite professor at

college, a family friend or relation with a successful career in finance or someone you know in a professional capacity, such as a

supervisor during a previous internship. Don't hesitate to approach a contact who you think could help you in your job search.

9. Score a Meaningful Internship

Difficulty: Very High

Impact: Very High

Scoring a summer internship still remains one of the best ways to lock in a prestigious full-time job in finance, as many Wall Street

firms pick their new hires from the ranks of their summer interns. At the best business schools, an estimated one-third to half of

MBA students work for their summer employer after graduation.

But since obtaining a paid internship in finance is likely to be very difficult for a non-financial graduate, one must consider other

options such as an unpaid internship or volunteer work with a broker. The opportunity cost that arises from doing such unpaid

internships or volunteer work will be more than offset in due course by the higher earning potential of a finance career.

10. Do Your Best to Get Your Foot in the Door

Difficulty: Very High

Impact: Very High

Knock on doors, expand your job search to other locations, use your network to check for job openings – in short, do everything

you can to get your foot in the door of a financial organization. Getting an entry-level position with a financial company, even in a

non-finance role, may open doors to other career paths in finance down the line.

The Bottom Line

Some non-finance degrees are certainly in demand on Wall Street for specific tasks, including:

Physics and mathematics for structured products, derivatives and quantitative trading

Information technology for algorithmic trading and platform development

Engineering, mining and medical for sector-specific research analysis and investment banking

But for the vast majority of non-finance degree holders, getting a job in finance is likely to pose a significant challenge. This is more

so because thousands of positions were eliminated by banks and financial institutions in the aftermath of the 2008 global recession.

However, using a combination of the tips discussed above should enable a non-financial graduate to substantially improve his or her

chances of launching a career in finance.

Investopedia.com believes that individuals can excel at managing their financial affairs. As such, we strive to provide free educational contentand tools to empower individual investors, including thousands of original and objective articles and tutorials on a wide variety of financial topics.

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by Investopedia Staff

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