More and more colleges are offering courses in banking and finance now, than ever before. In fact, courses in MBA and PGDM are provided by more than 4,400 colleges in India, according to information provided by Shiksha.com. There is a good reason for that! Given the tremendous job and growth opportunities that banking and finance courses offer, students are increasingly opting for these courses to build a fulfilling career.
Benefits of a Banking and Finance Course
It is no secret that there has been a slowdown in the creation of job opportunities in recent times. In fact, the number of people employed in non-manufacturing sectors dropped from 19.4 million in 2011-12 to 17.8 million in 2017-18. Employment in the manufacturing industry also declined from 22.1 million to 18.5 million in the same period, according to a report by Azim Premji University.
But the strong performance of the banking and finance sector has not dimmed and job opportunities here continue to grow. In fact, there are more than 1.5 lakh active jobs available in this sector. Some of the reasons for this market are:
- An expected three-fold increase in the number of investor accounts to 130 million, according to the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI).
- The large number of banks, more than 95,000, in India.
- Public sector bank assets at US$1,557 billion.
- The great performance of the insurance sector, which is expected to reach a value of $280 billion by 2020, according to India Brand Equity Foundation.
Careers in Banking and Finance
Some of the top job prospects after completing a course in banking and finance are:
1.Financial Analyst
A course in finance after graduation can help you become a financial analyst. A financial analyst is responsible for gathering data and finding actionable insights by analyzing it. They are also involved in the identification and mitigation of challenges and recommending the best course of action. This means that you must be always aware of the market trends as well.
2.Loan Officer
A loan officer’s primary responsibility is to help individuals and organizations get the right loans. For this, they are required to evaluate the needs of the organization/individual and their credit worthiness. Based on this, they select the best loans. To become a loan officer, you must have good knowledge of sales and banking. Pursuing a banking course after graduation would provide you the skills needed to become a loan officer.
3.Finance Manager
A finance manager is tasked with maintaining the financial health of a company. They are required to monitor investment activities, produce plans, financial reports and develop strategies for achieving the financial goals of the company.
4.Treasury Manager
A treasury manager deals with the collection and management of foreign currency. They are responsible for portfolio management such that there is no deterioration in its value. They must also be aware of the changes in the values of various currencies. That is why, a treasury manager must have good knowledge of mathematics and finance.
Apart from these, a finance and banking certification course can help you become a financial planner, budget analyst, bank teller and broker.
