Growing into a Financial Analyst
TLDR: what are entry-mid level skills or certifications someone without a business degree should earn to have the best chance of being successful as a financial analyst? How could I continue to grow and develop into a sr or manager lever role at a large company?
I (23) have a bachelors degree in Biochemistry and found myself hating working as a biochemist in a lab. I somehow found myself as a temp HR generalist at a small (100-150 people) company with no prior experience and while in a temp role- I automated a ton of processes, found a way to present data more clearly, etc. long story short, i blew them out of the water. The expectation was never that i stay in the HR role permanently and so when the time came for them to hire an actually qualified HR manager, they created a new, open job description, role of “help the VP” in order to keep me in the company.
Im super grateful that they found value in my drive and attitude and over the last year i have taken on a ton of projects that required heavy reporting and analytic skills. I’ve YouTubed and ChatGPTed myself into becoming highly proficient in excel (power pivot, data query, indexing and Xlookups, building dashboards, etc)
I just had my annual review cycle and the company came to me with a 10% raise and told me that they are very impressed and want to push me further to become a qualified financial analyst for the company. They are willing to pay for certifications, courses, or tools I may need to bring the reporting to the next step in the company. I have no clue where to start or what to ask for. I am vaguely familiar with SQL but don’t know how to implement it day to day in my job.
What courses or certifications would you recommend for someone who accidentally fell into the career and is making the most of it? What skills or tools do you find most useful at your job and what skills are employers most often looking for?