Explore a career in finance

A career in finance can take you in more directions than you might expect. You could analyse business performance, help shape budgets, assess risk, support investment decisions or work with organisations planning for growth.

It's more than just spreadsheets – working in finance is just as much about understanding what the numbers mean and helping people decide what to do next.

That’s why a finance career path can lead to you working across private companies, government, healthcare, education, banking, consulting and many other sectors.

Finance is broadly about how money is managed, planned and used to support decisions.

The day-to-day work depends heavily on the role. A financial analyst may review business performance and prepare forecasts. Someone working in commercial finance might partner with other teams to understand costs, opportunities and future plans. A risk-focused role may involve identifying where an organisation could be exposed and helping decide how that risk should be managed.

Common areas of work include:

• financial analysis

• budgeting and forecasting

• commercial finance 

• banking

• risk analysis

• business performance

• financial planning 

• consulting.

You don’t need to know which area suits you from the beginning. Early study and workplace experience can help you work out whether you prefer detailed analysis, broader business strategy or roles with more stakeholder interaction.

Many people start in junior, assistant or analyst roles that help them build experience with financial information and business decisions.

Possible starting points include:

• Finance assistant

• Junior analyst

• Reporting analyst 

• Commercial support officer

• Banking support roles

• Business analyst

• Accounts support 

• Graduate business roles.

What does a financial analyst career path look like?

The financial analyst career path is one of the more recognisable routes within finance. Financial analysts use information to help organisations understand what’s happening, why it may be happening and what could come next.

The work may include:

• reviewing financial results

• comparing actual performance against budgets

• preparing forecasts 

• identifying patterns in business data

• building reports for decision-makers

• assessing opportunities and risks.

Someone may begin in a junior analyst or reporting position before progressing into a financial analyst role. With experience, possible directions can include senior analysis, commercial finance, finance management, strategy or consulting.

There isn’t one universal route. Some finance careers also require additional professional qualifications, so it’s important to look closely at the requirements of the role you’re aiming for.

Which skills are important for a career in finance?

Strong finance professionals are adept in both calculating numbers and a wide range of other capabilities to support businesses. Useful capabilities include:

The Bachelor of Applied Business (Business Management) at UNSW College will help you develop a broader understanding of how financial information connects with business decisions.

Students study areas including Accounting in Practice, Economics for Business Decisions, Corporate Financial Literacy, Business Analytics, Strategic Business Analysis, and Enterprise Risk, Governance and Ethics.

This broader context matters because financial decisions rarely sit neatly inside one department: a budget change may affect staffing; a new investment could create opportunities but also introduce risk; a decline in sales may require decisions across marketing, pricing, operations or customer experience. Understanding those connections can be valuable in roles where finance needs to support wider business decisions.

The program is also shaped through employer consultation, advisory boards and industry input across areas including finance, accounting, ESG, legal, risk and strategy. Industry mentorship is integrated throughout the program, giving students access to practical perspectives beyond the classroom.

Building experience while you study

The degree runs for 36 months, comprising six semesters and 12 terms, with each term delivered over eight weeks.

Students also complete Professional Practice in Year 2 or Year 3, helping connect study with workplace skills and expectations.

The Bachelor of Applied Business (Business Management) also develops practical skills in team leadership, project management and strategic decision-making. These can become increasingly important as finance professionals move from preparing information to helping shape bigger decisions.