Considering a Career Switch to Finance? 5 Tips to Help You Decide

How to Explore Finance as a Career Option

If you’re thinking about pivoting your career path to finance, you’re in good company. Finance is full of professionals who started out working in different fields before making a successful career switch to finance.  

The following 5 tips provide a good starting point to deciding if finance is right for you. These tips will help you explore your options, gain clarity, and take confident first steps.

1. Clarify Your “Why”

Before taking your next steps, take a moment to reflect. What’s motivating your career switch to finance? Maybe you’re aiming for higher earning potential. Maybe you’ve always been interested in how businesses work. Or you’re looking for a career path with more structure and room to grow.

There’s no single right reason, but knowing yours will help you focus your research and explain your decision with confidence when the time comes.

Jot down what’s drawing you to finance and what you want next. That clarity will guide every decision that follows.

2. Familiarize Yourself with Different Finance Roles

Finance isn’t a single job. It’s a wide field with different responsibilities, work environments, and required skills. Understanding the landscape will help you focus your research and identify roles that align with your background and interests.

Here are a few areas to explore:

• Corporate finance: Professionals work on finance teams within companies in functions like accounting, FP&A (financial planning and analysis), treasury, and investor relations.
• Investment banking: Analysts and advisors help companies raise capital and advise clients on large transactions, such as mergers and acquisitions. 
• Wealth management and financial planning: Professionals help individuals and families manage their investments and plan for long-term financial goals.
• Fintech: Roles span product management, analytics, sales, and support at companies building financial technologies. Many positions are open to people without traditional finance or tech backgrounds.

Researching the roles that interest you will give you a clearer picture of career paths that fit with your goals and interests. CFI offers tools and resources designed for people making a career change, including a career map, real-world case studies, and self-paced courses. 

A great place to start researching career paths is CFI’s Interactive Career Map. This map lets you explore diverse roles, linking to in-depth career profiles to learn more.

 3. Learn From Real-World Experiences

The best way to understand what a finance role is really like? Hear it from someone who’s been there. Many professionals working in finance today started in completely different fields. Their stories can give you a clearer picture of what’s possible.

Here are a few ways to tap into real-world experience:

Listen to real stories

Start with CFI’s Careers in Finance podcast, where guests talk about how they got into finance, the challenges they faced, and the lessons they’ve learned. One episode features a professional who transitioned from data analytics into FP&A—a great listen if you’re considering corporate finance. [Listen to the episode here.]

Reach out to your network

Former colleagues, classmates, or even mutual connections may be open to sharing their experience, especially if you approach the conversation thoughtfully. Even a quick message or informal chat can offer useful insights.

Look for mentors

A mentor doesn’t have to be a long-term commitment. Sometimes, a single conversation with the right person can help you move forward with more clarity. As you explore your next steps, keep an eye out for people who can offer perspective, encouragement, or advice.

Learning from others can give you a sense of what’s possible and make the switch feel more doable.

4. Identify Your Transferable Skills

Switching into finance doesn’t mean starting with a blank slate. Even if your expertise doesn’t seem “financial” at first, many transferable skills you’ve already developed are highly valued in finance. 

According to LinkedIn research, some of the fastest-growing skills in finance include: 

• Data analysis 
• AI literacy
• Communication
• Conflict mitigation
• Adaptability
• Customer engagement
• Records management

Notice how these in-demand capabilities include universal human skills like communication and adaptability. And technical skills in AI and data analysis are transferable to finance. Comfort with Excel spreadsheets or experience with budgeting, managing vendors, and presenting to clients are more relevant to finance roles than you might think.

Take time to review a few job descriptions that interest you. Notice what skills they highlight, then look for overlap with your own experience beyond. You can learn financial and technical capabilities, but your career switch really starts with transferable skills.

5. Start Building the Right Skills

If you’re serious about a career switch to finance, developing a few core skills early on can make a big difference. You don’t need to commit to a full degree program, but learning the basics can help you feel more confident and prepared.

Start with the fundamentals of accounting and corporate finance. These concepts show up across nearly every finance role and give you the language to understand how financial decisions are made.

Online courses, certifications, and hands-on practice can help you build skills at your own pace. Many training providers like CFI offer courses broken into 15-20-minute increments to help you fit lessons into your busy schedule and learn finance step-by-step.

Resources for Making a Career Switch to Finance

Making a career switch to finance is a big move, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With the right focus, resources, and a little patience, you can chart a path that fits your goals and builds on what you already know.

Looking for more information on finance careers? Whether you want to switch careers to finance or you’re looking for career advancement, CFI can help you reach your goals. For insights into career paths and advice for breaking into finance, explore our career resources!

FAQ: Switching Careers to Finance

• Is it realistic to switch into finance later in my career?

Yes. Many finance professionals didn’t start in finance. What matters most is showing you’ve taken the initiative to understand the field, build relevant skills, and connect the dots from your past experience.

• Do I need a finance degree to switch into finance?

Not necessarily. While a finance degree can help, many roles are open to professionals with diverse educational backgrounds and experience. This is especially true if you build relevant skills through certifications, training, or hands-on experience.

• What kinds of finance roles are good for career switchers?

Roles in financial operations and certain areas of fintech tend to be more open to candidates without formal finance backgrounds, especially if you bring strong organizational or communication skills. FP&A and corporate finance roles often require some finance knowledge, but they’re realistic targets if you build foundational skills in budgeting, analysis, and Excel.

Additional Resources

CFI’s Interactive Career Map

Top Professional Finance Certifications

What Does a Financial Analyst Do?

Corporate Finance Overview

See all Career resources