Financial services consist of a wide range of businesses that manage money. Banks, credit unions, insurance companies, credit card companies, investment firms, and brokerage firms are major branches of this category. With the proliferation of financial markets and the introduction of technology into this field, it is more dynamic than ever to work in. Most people are attracted by the considerable monetary compensations, chances to have a great work-life balance, and the evergreen nature of work in the finance sector.
All these positives have most of us believing that a career in finance is a bed of flowers. There are various images of finance-related professions built up in our heads, thanks to the professionals making it seem easier and brighter than it is. It would not be wrong to say that finance as a profession is highly romanticised.
This comes as no surprise to the Gen-Z. Their lives revolve mostly around social media and the internet. Social media has romanticised various things that are not so glamorous. From modelling to mental illness and from relationships to professions, we all have seen people portray things as if they were simple, attractive or positive. One can find numerous people who are into the field of finance and making it seem like the easiest and most glamorous profession there is. From putting up various valuation techniques they have used to showing off their expectations of how companies are going to grow and perform, professional platforms have become home to a lot of finance-related material.
We are led to believe that finance is one of those very few career options which can offer success at a tender age, and easily at that. Be it investment banking or stockbroking, the first thing that comes to our minds on reading those words is how rich people in those professions become. Youngsters with a knack for crunching numbers, of course, usually try to pick up finance as a profession.
Having a profession in finance is certainly romanticised because it is not something one can get easily just upon wishing. It takes intangible elements such as ‘Knowledge’, ‘Learning’, ‘Aptitude’, ‘Discipline’, ‘Focus’, ‘Patience’ to become an effective professional in finance; perhaps this is why finance professionals are highly valued and respected. This field helps in managing decisions at an individual level right from personal finance planning, to determining the futures of huge firms in the form of corporate finance. Directing an economy in the right way certainly does require good financial planning and execution. The needs and wants for finance for individuals and institutions are many.
As we go towards actually understanding the work of these professionals, we come by shocking revelations. As opposed to the common perception, the reality is not as simple, easy and bright as it seems on the social platforms. Assumptions around the fact that intuition and mathematics are the only two things one needs to succeed in finance as a profession are not so true. From spending time on learning the complex and difficult terminologies and processes to being patient and confident about the decisions one has made, people in this profession endure as much hardship as any other.
It is perceived that once a person knows enough about the stock market or the world of banking, he or she starts to mint money. The reality, however, is very different from the stereotypical romance of finance. It is hard work. It can be exceedingly difficult to become rich in this profession and it comes with a lot of risks. But people do make their living and earn more than what they would have expected in this field. Good work is indeed done from the fantasies and romanticism around the world of finance.