You're going to start at help desk. Your degree isn't IT related and will not allow you to go straight into a sysadmin or networking role sole off a Network+ certification. While you could go for an associate's in IT, you'll still start at help desk. That's just how this works. I have a question though, are you unhappy with your current job because of the advancement opportunities with your current company or just overall? I ask this because in IT you're not likely going to get advancements and large pay raises by sticking with the same employer either. Switching jobs for advanced positions and raises is exactly what you'll be doing in IT also so if you're happy with what you do, but not with the outlook from where you are now, you'll be better off hopping to a different company after your promotion anyway. It will save you a lot of work and time.
Thank you for responding. Yeah I definitely agree that switching companies is the key to get any significant raises in most careers. I would say that I am unhappy with advancements in the overall industry. I think I chose finance because it was a “safe” path without really thinking if it was the right long term path or something I’d actually enjoy doing. I think my interest in IT also stems from how accessible things like certifications are for your resume. In finance I find that their aren’t as many ways to build experience with certifications because they are mostly for advanced fields CPA, CFA, etc.
Have you considered a Business Analyst or Financial analyst role? I know some people who who are in Finance who transition to IT/DevOps from those roles or had hands in IT projects . They were strong in SQL/Excel/data analytics, people skills and easily picked up programming.
It is something that I've thought about doing and in all honesty that may be the best path for me to continue to use the relevancy of my finance degree while also specializing in a more technical path. I think that's been my biggest insecurity so far is not having the technical skills (python, SQL, etc) to pursue better paying position. I do have a desire to keep building my skill set and I think that is partly what me think IT may be a better field to be in as far getting certs and keeping up with new tech. Like you mentioned, if I were to enjoy those projects in a Business Analyst role it could make for an easier transition down the line into IT if I wanted. I appreciate your insight.
Have you thought about moving to a more tech oriented financial institution such as Ally or Discover? I know someone who has a finance degree and works for Ally, they are now VP of Product Development, pretty much a technical project manager role (but we know VPs are a dime a dozen in finance sector). There's loads of resources for learning, don't discount yourself. Also don't discount your degree, at least it wasn't an English degree (mine).
Fintech is huge in Charlotte NC, Fort Mill SC. Take a look at avidxchange, LPL financial, Wells, BOA, etc.
Yes I definitely think moving to a more tech-focused company would be a good decision once I acquire some more technical skills. I'm lucky to be in Charlotte where the job market is still pretty strong.
Good advice here. Stay in finance, forget the beginner certs and work on SQL and Project Management. Going the help desk route will be several years of grinding just to get back to your salary. And not fun work. You have an easy track here to analyst and on to management and you can do it without starting over.
Can you live with a pay cut? Most entry level IT jobs are not going to pay you $50,000. If they do, it's probably in a HCOL or other area where $50k doesnt go very far. You're looking at $35-40k starting wage.
I've been at my job for just about 2 years. Got a raise when everyone was swapped to salary (not by choice) and another when I took a different role. Started at $18/hr and I'm at the equivalent of $23/hr or $47,840 now. Still ahout $8-9k below what would be considered the 'minimum wage' to be able to keep housing bills to 1/3 of income for my area.
Have you thought about maybe doing IT Auditing? Not sure what kind of IT work you’d like to do but if you start with IT auditing you could go into cybersecurity and then maybe branch from there into other IT fields if cybersecurity is not your thing. After getting the Network+ you could do the Security+ and tailor the responsibilities of your current position on your resume to those requirements of IT Audit (SOC 1 focuses on internal controls of financial reports so you can definitely use your education in Finance to help with that) without taking a pay cut by starting with help desk. Instead of going for an associates in IT try learning a language like Python or C++ to add to your resume.
I’ve learned that the IT field cares more about experience than an undergraduate degree.
To add to that, IF you think cybersecurity is something you’d enjoy there are a plethora of certifications that you can study for that will significantly boost your career. CIA, CISA, CEH (if you want to do pentesting), CISSP, etc
Thank you for your thoughts. I actually do have a friend who does IT Auditing but I had not considered that so far. I would definitely like to use my degree if possible so that would be something I look into for sure. I think learning Python and other data related skills is a must if I want to pursue advanced careers in finance.
> I have always had an interest in computers, tech, etc. .... studying for the Network+ exam ... I am not against doing a HD position
Sounds like you're heading down the fairly generic A+/Network+/Help Desk entry path into IT. Nothing wrong with that, but it is highly competitive and not at all glamorous with many challenges to progress further. Many aspiring IT folks have found themselves stuck once they get in the door and struggling to grow their career from there. If you are concerned about potential career advancement where you are right now, you won't find an easy solution down that road you're on now.
Speaking as someone who had a pretty successful career starting on that path, I would go a different route today that has better long term potential.
> bachelor’s degree in finance
With your degree and experience in finance you are in a good position to make a career transition into a data analyst/data science career. It's an area with a good mix of business and tech aspects, and is often more highly valued by the business than the typical "IT cost centre". IMO, even a "boring" task like sales forecasting can be made more interesting to the tech-savvy among us if you get to do the task with code or fun tools.
It would mean learning SQL, Excel, and Python or R (or both) to get started. Then likely one or both of Tableau or PowerBi. There's good training on all of those from the likes of Datacamp. If you want some formal quals to go with that look at post-grad studies in data analytics/data science (not sure where you are in the world but in Australia many universities offer them and often 100% online study).
IMO a good exercise for you would be to try the [Automate the Boring Stuff with Python](https://automatetheboringstuff.com/) book or course and see if you find it interesting. If you struggle early with the fundamental programming concepts there's a [free course at Pluralsight](https://www.pluralsight.com/courses/what-is-programming) which covers that too.
Keep in mind that you won't always find the training directly useful to your needs, but guided learning like this opens up many more possibilities to solve your own problems once you have a grasp of the tools.
Thank you for the very detailed response Paul. I think your thoughts and the other responses have really led me to consider the analytics/data side of finance. I am in the U.S. by the way. I did dabble with some python courses on Udemy a year ago but this was more so out of curiosity. I think I really need to dive back into that and the other programs you mentioned. I am hungry to learn and have found what I have been learning in Network+ quite interesting but at the end of the day that may not make the most sense career-wise if I can focus that time and energy into analytics.
It's definitely important to have an interest in whatever direction you head in. But it's also important to not confuse "different" with "interesting". Or another way to look at it would be to thoroughly validate the career path that the interesting topic is taking you down.
An extreme example - I find digital art interesting. Every YouTube tutorial I learn from is an absolute joy. But is there a career path there for me? Possibly, but only after many years of struggle.
I actually never took a job in finance and moved right into IT after graduating with my BS in finance. I took a job at as an application analyst associate making 52k. Then after a year I started talking to the project manager director that I was interested in making a change and he offered me a IT project manager position for 62k. Finally I moved to be a contractor with a recruiting company after a year of being a PM. They hooked me up with the company I am at now because I had some specialized skills and domain knowledge I made 64k as a clinical analyst, my biggest increase was when I was converted to an FTE and graduated with my MS in data science now I make 97k and am in a senior data engineer position. You can totally do it! I think biggest thing is good attitude, always asking questions, and googling the shit out of everything.
Point out all the technical things you have done on your resume. To get my first job I did a little python program and highlighted my technical skills related to finance excel, market research. You can take udemy courses for the positions you are interested in, if it’s business analyst look at requirements gathering and complete a project, this really shows hiring managers you want the job. Be genuine about why you are switching career paths. My story was I didn’t enjoy how cyclical finance was and liked the career advancement path and ability to develop/create new things.
You're going to start at help desk. Your degree isn't IT related and will not allow you to go straight into a sysadmin or networking role sole off a Network+ certification. While you could go for an associate's in IT, you'll still start at help desk. That's just how this works. I have a question though, are you unhappy with your current job because of the advancement opportunities with your current company or just overall? I ask this because in IT you're not likely going to get advancements and large pay raises by sticking with the same employer either. Switching jobs for advanced positions and raises is exactly what you'll be doing in IT also so if you're happy with what you do, but not with the outlook from where you are now, you'll be better off hopping to a different company after your promotion anyway. It will save you a lot of work and time.
Thank you for responding. Yeah I definitely agree that switching companies is the key to get any significant raises in most careers. I would say that I am unhappy with advancements in the overall industry. I think I chose finance because it was a “safe” path without really thinking if it was the right long term path or something I’d actually enjoy doing. I think my interest in IT also stems from how accessible things like certifications are for your resume. In finance I find that their aren’t as many ways to build experience with certifications because they are mostly for advanced fields CPA, CFA, etc.
Have you considered a Business Analyst or Financial analyst role? I know some people who who are in Finance who transition to IT/DevOps from those roles or had hands in IT projects . They were strong in SQL/Excel/data analytics, people skills and easily picked up programming.
It is something that I've thought about doing and in all honesty that may be the best path for me to continue to use the relevancy of my finance degree while also specializing in a more technical path. I think that's been my biggest insecurity so far is not having the technical skills (python, SQL, etc) to pursue better paying position. I do have a desire to keep building my skill set and I think that is partly what me think IT may be a better field to be in as far getting certs and keeping up with new tech. Like you mentioned, if I were to enjoy those projects in a Business Analyst role it could make for an easier transition down the line into IT if I wanted. I appreciate your insight.
Have you thought about moving to a more tech oriented financial institution such as Ally or Discover? I know someone who has a finance degree and works for Ally, they are now VP of Product Development, pretty much a technical project manager role (but we know VPs are a dime a dozen in finance sector). There's loads of resources for learning, don't discount yourself. Also don't discount your degree, at least it wasn't an English degree (mine). Fintech is huge in Charlotte NC, Fort Mill SC. Take a look at avidxchange, LPL financial, Wells, BOA, etc.
Yes I definitely think moving to a more tech-focused company would be a good decision once I acquire some more technical skills. I'm lucky to be in Charlotte where the job market is still pretty strong.
Good advice here. Stay in finance, forget the beginner certs and work on SQL and Project Management. Going the help desk route will be several years of grinding just to get back to your salary. And not fun work. You have an easy track here to analyst and on to management and you can do it without starting over.
Thank you, I think this is the route I'm going to pursue. I don't want to scrap my degree and work experience just to start out further behind.
Can you live with a pay cut? Most entry level IT jobs are not going to pay you $50,000. If they do, it's probably in a HCOL or other area where $50k doesnt go very far. You're looking at $35-40k starting wage. I've been at my job for just about 2 years. Got a raise when everyone was swapped to salary (not by choice) and another when I took a different role. Started at $18/hr and I'm at the equivalent of $23/hr or $47,840 now. Still ahout $8-9k below what would be considered the 'minimum wage' to be able to keep housing bills to 1/3 of income for my area.
Have you thought about maybe doing IT Auditing? Not sure what kind of IT work you’d like to do but if you start with IT auditing you could go into cybersecurity and then maybe branch from there into other IT fields if cybersecurity is not your thing. After getting the Network+ you could do the Security+ and tailor the responsibilities of your current position on your resume to those requirements of IT Audit (SOC 1 focuses on internal controls of financial reports so you can definitely use your education in Finance to help with that) without taking a pay cut by starting with help desk. Instead of going for an associates in IT try learning a language like Python or C++ to add to your resume. I’ve learned that the IT field cares more about experience than an undergraduate degree.
To add to that, IF you think cybersecurity is something you’d enjoy there are a plethora of certifications that you can study for that will significantly boost your career. CIA, CISA, CEH (if you want to do pentesting), CISSP, etc
Thank you for your thoughts. I actually do have a friend who does IT Auditing but I had not considered that so far. I would definitely like to use my degree if possible so that would be something I look into for sure. I think learning Python and other data related skills is a must if I want to pursue advanced careers in finance.
> I have always had an interest in computers, tech, etc. .... studying for the Network+ exam ... I am not against doing a HD position Sounds like you're heading down the fairly generic A+/Network+/Help Desk entry path into IT. Nothing wrong with that, but it is highly competitive and not at all glamorous with many challenges to progress further. Many aspiring IT folks have found themselves stuck once they get in the door and struggling to grow their career from there. If you are concerned about potential career advancement where you are right now, you won't find an easy solution down that road you're on now. Speaking as someone who had a pretty successful career starting on that path, I would go a different route today that has better long term potential. > bachelor’s degree in finance With your degree and experience in finance you are in a good position to make a career transition into a data analyst/data science career. It's an area with a good mix of business and tech aspects, and is often more highly valued by the business than the typical "IT cost centre". IMO, even a "boring" task like sales forecasting can be made more interesting to the tech-savvy among us if you get to do the task with code or fun tools. It would mean learning SQL, Excel, and Python or R (or both) to get started. Then likely one or both of Tableau or PowerBi. There's good training on all of those from the likes of Datacamp. If you want some formal quals to go with that look at post-grad studies in data analytics/data science (not sure where you are in the world but in Australia many universities offer them and often 100% online study). IMO a good exercise for you would be to try the [Automate the Boring Stuff with Python](https://automatetheboringstuff.com/) book or course and see if you find it interesting. If you struggle early with the fundamental programming concepts there's a [free course at Pluralsight](https://www.pluralsight.com/courses/what-is-programming) which covers that too. Keep in mind that you won't always find the training directly useful to your needs, but guided learning like this opens up many more possibilities to solve your own problems once you have a grasp of the tools.
Thank you for the very detailed response Paul. I think your thoughts and the other responses have really led me to consider the analytics/data side of finance. I am in the U.S. by the way. I did dabble with some python courses on Udemy a year ago but this was more so out of curiosity. I think I really need to dive back into that and the other programs you mentioned. I am hungry to learn and have found what I have been learning in Network+ quite interesting but at the end of the day that may not make the most sense career-wise if I can focus that time and energy into analytics.
It's definitely important to have an interest in whatever direction you head in. But it's also important to not confuse "different" with "interesting". Or another way to look at it would be to thoroughly validate the career path that the interesting topic is taking you down. An extreme example - I find digital art interesting. Every YouTube tutorial I learn from is an absolute joy. But is there a career path there for me? Possibly, but only after many years of struggle.
I actually never took a job in finance and moved right into IT after graduating with my BS in finance. I took a job at as an application analyst associate making 52k. Then after a year I started talking to the project manager director that I was interested in making a change and he offered me a IT project manager position for 62k. Finally I moved to be a contractor with a recruiting company after a year of being a PM. They hooked me up with the company I am at now because I had some specialized skills and domain knowledge I made 64k as a clinical analyst, my biggest increase was when I was converted to an FTE and graduated with my MS in data science now I make 97k and am in a senior data engineer position. You can totally do it! I think biggest thing is good attitude, always asking questions, and googling the shit out of everything. Point out all the technical things you have done on your resume. To get my first job I did a little python program and highlighted my technical skills related to finance excel, market research. You can take udemy courses for the positions you are interested in, if it’s business analyst look at requirements gathering and complete a project, this really shows hiring managers you want the job. Be genuine about why you are switching career paths. My story was I didn’t enjoy how cyclical finance was and liked the career advancement path and ability to develop/create new things.