I am currently a junior in high school and it’s about that time to look for colleges and pick a major.
I’ve been asking around a lot and have been looking around myself and many people have suggested finance as the major to go.
What kind of jobs can I get with a finance major and is it wise to double major in Finance/Accounting and minor in International Business or major in Finance/Int Business and minor in Accounting.
Do you guys know programs in any of the top tier colleges that cater to me needs?
I have a GPA above 4 and aiming for 1400+ on the SAT
You are a junior in HS. If you know you want to attend an undergraduate business school program that is all you need for now. You have not taken one finance or one accounting course yet so it is too early to make a decision.
In terms of starting to look for specific colleges…
–Take the SAT or ACT (the score you are “aiming for” doesn’t’ mean much really)
–You can look through this list not so much for the ranking but because it is a good list of schools that can be a starting point for your research. http://poetsandquantsforundergrads.com/2014/07/01/2014-pq-ranking-of-the-best-undergraduate-business-programs/2/
– I suggest you get your hands on some good college guide books (ex. Fiske, Princeton Review) and start reading.
–If your HS has Naviance that is a useful tool
–Talk to your parents and understand any limitations they have (ex. financial, geographic, anything else).
–Try to visit a couple of different types of schools and get a sense of what you like.
–Think about what you want in your college experience (ex. big or small school, urban/suburban/rural setting, Greek life or not, big time sports or not and anything else you might care about…)
Finance job can be roughly grouped into at least 3 categories: corporate finance, investments, and financial intermediation. Main street corporations, such as Boeing, IBM, Google, etc., hire finance professionals to make their financial decisions. The highest finance position in these firms are called Chief Financial Officers (CFOs). In the investments area, you have jobs related to mutual funds, hedge funds, private equity funds, real estate funds, pension funds, etc. Financial service firms, such as brokerage firms, also hire finance students to facilitate investing and trading. The main players in the financial intermediation area are banks: commercial banks, investment banks, etc. Banks facilitate financing from capital providers to capital users. When we use the word Wall Street, we often refer it to investment firms and banks.
At HS, you can have exposure to business and finance by participating in your HS’s DECA. Also check out your local college, see whether taking an introductory course to business is possible. In some states, such courses at state universities can be free of charge (paid by the state).
Some finance concentrations can be very math-y and analytical. Accounting is a numbers major. So if you think you’ll end up liking lots of numbers and math, then those majors are for you. But I agree with the other posters. For now, widen your search to select a number of good-to-reach programs and throw a safety or two in there, and then don’t worry about your major so much. Explore and enjoy!