A career in banking is appealing for myriad reasons. A culturally diverse working environment presents many opportunities for self-development, where challenging projects abound in a typically fast-paced course that nonetheless offers a long and rewarding career. Indeed, for the travel buffs who are looking to figuratively prance around in a global and highly-competitive arena – few industries are more befitting than the financial one.
Whew! Quite the intro, huh? If you’ll forgive me, this is the second blog post I’m writing today. It seems my creative juices have taken that as a sign and have thus decidedly chosen to step up for the task. In any case, the banking sector definitely doesn’t play around, at least not with lay-abouts who are all talk and no action!
This means – especially with the new year dawning… stop consuming so much content and start taking this flaming bull by the horns!
(On a related note: is your fire not burning? Here are 5 productivity hacks to stoke those waning embers back to their flaming glory.)
Easy to transfer over from other industries
At the risk of losing the attention of fresh undergraduates (skip ahead to the next section if that’s you), I’m going to start by addressing the reader as an employee who is currently looking to jump ship. So if that’s you… best start taking attention. And notes.
The thing about banking is that it has a lot of disciplines involved, all of which are consequential to keeping the wheels turning. That means whether you’re an engineer, a computer scientist, a lawyer, a marketer, an IT consultant, or what have you – there’s room for you aboard. Candidates from almost any field can find a job that’s related in one way or another to what they do, which is great news for banking, but bad news for you.
… That is if you don’t like competition. (In which case, I’d recommend a different career altogether, ‘cause from what I can tell, this industry is ruthless.)
Rapid career progression
There is always an opportunity to sharpen the sword in a bank, so to speak (not that you’ll find any steel weapons in there, but it’s a random and funny thing to imagine). Many banks provide on-the-job training and encourage career development on behalf of their employees through courses, seminars, and training programs. Tuition assistance and reimbursement plans are there to support your learning and thereby improve your chances for future and even current positions.
Heck, there are many banks with training departments whose entire reason for existence is to make you a more dexterous banking employee. Talk about a place that pushes for your growth, eh?
Globetrotters, rejoice!
Banking is a very suitable career for any travel enthusiast. You’re likely to find excellent opportunities where you can (and must) work in a country on one weekend and then travel to work in another country on the next.
Good compensation and benefits
Competitive salaries and great benefits are not uncommon for new entrants to the banking sector. Fresh beginners can expect up to 23 days’ worth of holidays a year (the number goes up to 30 after some time). Also, working outside normal hours means you’ll be granted overtime salary and/or time off as compensation.
You may also get a car allowance or even a company car if you’re in a management role. Private health and disability insurances are often included as part of employee benefits as well.
Banking is for you if you enjoy working with people
Needless to say, you’ll be meeting folks from all walks of life, all with varying “levels” of wealth. If you’re a real people person, then you will in large part succeed in this career.
And, I don’t know why I even have to mention this, but I’ll mention it anyway: you need to also be mathematically proficient, obviously… i.e., if math wasn’t your thing in school, then that's a pretty good tell that a career revolving around numbers probably isn’t going to be the best option for you.
If any of this excites you, you know what to do
And that is head over to our job search engine – provided you’ve got all the necessary preliminary stuff in order (like your CV, cover letter, qualifications and/or credentials, etc.)… and start applying away. Before long, you’ll be working at a prestigious bank, receiving good pay, content in knowing that a very fulfilling and rewarding career in banking is drawing over the horizon.
