<p>This career seems to fit my personality quite a bit. I am planning on a double major in finance/business economics at the University of Arizona. How exactly is this job? Movies like Harold and Kumar make it look very mundane and show clips of someone crunching numbers in a cubicle. I sure hope this is not how the career is. Also, should I pursue a graduate degree? Thanks!</p>
<p>well it depends on industry you are working in as a financial analyst. Some work in i-banking (the kind described in harold and kumar), others work in other industries like corporate finance, etc. </p>
<p>For most analyst jobs you'll be crunching numbers since analyst positions are usually just entry-level jobs. In i-banking you'd be working long hours and you'd barely have a life...but you'd be making a good living. Other analyst jobs are not as demanding as i-banking, it seems to be one of the most demanding analyst jobs out there.</p>
<p>However, i-banking is a really hard field to break into if you don't attend an "i-banking hunting ground" school (ivy, top LAC, duke, mich, gtown, etc.). A graduate degree is always nice to have but most top MBA programs don't accept you right out of college you need at least a few years of work experience.</p>
<p>some kid in my business management class did Financial Analysist for his project and the big thing i remember my teacher saying about the job is that you work very very long hours but with a very nice salary. i know it doesnt sound all that exciting but I also want to do something around this field, probably investment banking, so I'm gonna give it a try and hopefully it will work out. you too should give it a go and try it out for yourself to see if its really all about crunching numbers.</p>
<p>Is UCLA a good place to start? What would one major in, assuming there is no "FINANCE" major? Thanks.</p>
<p>You would probably major in economics, which is the next best thing. You can really do anything in the liberal arts and then get an MBA.</p>
<p>Spreadsheets and powerpoint</p>
<p>Oh and kissing ass</p>