The Finance cluster is about using your skills in math and statistics to prepare for well-paying careers in financial and investment planning, banking, insurance, and business financial management.
This career pathway is divided into five pathways:
Accounting
Banking Service
Business Finance
Insurance
Securities and Investments
Accounting encompasses careers that record, classify, summarize, analyze, and communicate a business's financial information/business transactions for use in management decision-making. Accounting includes such activities as bookkeeping, systems design, analysis, and interpretation of accounting information.
Sample occupations include:
Accountant
Accounting Clerk
Cost Analyst
Management Accountant
Merger and Acquisitions Manager
Personal Financial Advisor
Revenue Agent
Tax Accountant
Primarily concerned with accepting deposits, lending funds, and extending credit, banking services include cash management, short-term investments, mortgages and other loans, credit cards, and bill payment. Banking services are delivered via a number of different institutions, from commercial banks (the largest group) and other traditional means (savings and loans associations, credit unions, and local banks) to newer ventures through insurance companies, brokerage houses, and the internet.
Sample occupations include:
Account Executive
Bill and Account Collector
Branch Manager
Compliance Officer
Credit Analyst
Debt Counselor
Financial Manager
Loan Officer
Teller
Title Researcher
The business finance function in a company is to manage policy and strategy for (and the implementation of) capital structure, budgeting, acquisition and investment, financial modeling and planning, funding, dividends, and taxation.
Sample occupations include:
Auditor
Cash Manager
Controller
Economist
Project Manager
Revenue Agent
Shipping and Receiving Clerk
Tax Preparer
The insurance industry, which exists to protect individuals and businesses from financial losses, delivers services that transfer risk from an individual or business to an insurance company.
Sample occupations include:
Actuary
Benefits and Job Analysis Specialist
Claims Adjuster
Claims Clerk
Claims Examiner
Insurance Appraiser
Insurance Processing Clerk
Insurance Sales Agent
Risk and Insurance Manager
Underwriter
The securities and investments industry consists of brokerage firms, investment banks, and stock exchanges, all of which support the flow of funds from investors to companies and institutions. Related services include financial planning, asset management, hedge fund management, and custody services.
Sample occupations include:
Financial Analyst
Fund Manager
Personal Financial Advisor
Real Estate Developer
Securities and Commodities Sales Agent
In order to make a plan for your future career goals, you need to know how to get there and make sure it is a good fit for you. There are several tools that can be used for career research. These tools can give you a description of the career, skills needed, tasks involved, wage range, and education/training needed.
Here are a few career research tools:
Onet-Use the "Occupation Search" features
CareerOneStop-Use "Occupation Search" or "List of Occupations"
The more you know about a career the more you can decide if it is a good match with your interests, skills and talents. Also it will help you make a plan towards your future career goals. A few good ways to do that is to see that career in action, talk to someone in that career or attend a career event.
Go to the "Upcoming Events" to check for monthly career events and go to the "Future Focused Series" to register for a virtual career chat with a professional in a career field of interest.
Contact your Career Specialist, Michelle Kuck MAISD Career Specialist : mkuck@muskegonisd.org to talk about job shadow, internship, externship, talent tour or informational interview options that may be available or to learn more about careers in this field.