It’s hard to know whether or not you’d enjoy this type of work with out fully understanding what it is you’ll be doing. To help you get an idea of the work that is required for this position see if there are job shadowing or internships available before hiring on full time. If you are a student still earning a degree and not sure if this job would work with your degree as k a counselor or a job scout. They can provide you with a personality and character sketch that will better help you find a job suited to your likes and dislikes. Find out what the job outlook is and what the starting salary is. Make sure that they have the kind of benefits you need and are willing to make adjustments if they don’t. This is an approach that should be taken before applying to any job.
Investment banking jobs and finance jobs are more common and easier to find. It is common to start at an investment job and merge into a trading career. Trading positions have a lot more opportunities and freedom than financial jobs do at banks. Before a career change like this can occur you must first have a college degree that is acceptable in the trading work field. Then you must be certified with a license to trade equity and stocks.
An ideal trader would be someone who is exceptionally well at math and able to enter and process data at an efficient rate. It is preferable to have at least a bachelor’s degree in finance or business and accounting. It is also mandatory to have at least three years of financial experience. This is another reason a career change from banking jobs and financial investment jobs is a good career starting point.
The average salary for traders and financial employees is smaller than most people would expect it to be. Most positions offer around $60,000 to $ 65,000. There is a chance of promotion and higher pay grade, however it is not easy and the pay grade levels do not vary by much. The job outlook for this are is fair, with the recent economy problems and stock failures it has decreased. The equity traders have been being less trusted and people feel less secure in investing their money. Many sales trades have left companies and moved to independent firms. This help with liability issues and allows the trader to decide who the cliental is. Some financial reports are less enthusiastic than this. They have projected that as much as 40 percent of traders will loose their job and that will be the continued norm in years to come. There are other avenues of this career that will not be harshly affected by the poor economy and drop in the stock market. It will be harder than it has been to make a professional career in this field. Many positions are opening up for former equity traders. It is becoming harder to find work in the equity trading felid and something has to compensate for that. Trading desk support positions and teaching informational equity classes are all options.
If you have a mechanical mind and like math this is a pretty good fit for you. Communication and leadership skills are a big part of this position. Make sure you have researched the job and its requirements before deciding if this fits for you. Try job shadowing or and internship to get a first account of the type of work you’ll be doing.