Is a degree in finance good for something other than investment banking?

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redmetalninja

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#1 redmetalninja
Member since 2008 • 300 Posts

It seems that anyone nowadays with a finance major wishes to pursue a job in IB. Personally, to me it would be nice but are there other uses for the degree? Mainly while im still an undergrad I just hope to work somewhere in a corporation, but will I be getting around with a B.S in finance? Or would I be better off in accounting?

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deactivated-590595a6292ce

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#2 deactivated-590595a6292ce
Member since 2008 • 5080 Posts

Is this the new hot spot for degree and job advice?

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ToppledPillars

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#3 ToppledPillars
Member since 2010 • 1590 Posts

You toy with forces you know not of!!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

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gameguy6700

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#4 gameguy6700
Member since 2004 • 12197 Posts
Either finance or accounting will set you up for most corporate jobs. The reason so many kids go into investment banking is because investment bankers make a TON of money (the successful ones anyway). Same reason why most bio majors want to go into medicine.
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The_Capitalist

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#5 The_Capitalist
Member since 2004 • 10838 Posts

Finance majors a dime a dozen. Plus, IB jobs are really hard to get unless you go to a heavily-recruited school or have excellent connections. You can still work in the finance department for many companies, but in my opinion, accounting is a far more versatile major, mostly because all companies need their beancounters. You can do audit, tax work, etc.

Go for accounting, dude.

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SUD123456

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#6 SUD123456
Member since 2007 • 7053 Posts

Finance majors a dime a dozen. Plus, IB jobs are really hard to get unless you go to a heavily-recruited school or have excellent connections. You can still work in the finance department for many companies, but in my opinion, accounting is a far more versatile major, mostly because all companies need their beancounters. You can do audit, tax work, etc.

Go for accounting, dude.

The_Capitalist

I feel exactly the opposite. Accountants are a dime a dozen and most of their functional work is utter boredom and routine. Accountants provide no real value to the growth of the business on either the top line or the bottom line.

However a good finance person working for the right type of company is directly involved in growth whether it be project work, M&A, or changing financing or structures of existing lines of business.

In my experience, no one cares what the accountants say as long as things are running smoothly and no one is violating any laws. Whereas everone cares what the finance and treasury people say since you can't move forward on investing, creating or buying anything without their sign off. Moreover you have a much better chance to get to the CEO corner office as a dealmaker than as a bean counter.

What you call versatile, I call safe, boring, and destined for middle management at best :P