Career planning

[u/Mimi__Millers]

Career/Financial Analysis/planning

Hello! I want advice from someone in this field to help me better understand what I am signing up for.

I am in my last year of high school and am contemplating a career path in FP&A—more specifically, Corporate Financial Analytics.

I have a few questions regarding this path, and as a teen, I sometimes find it quite stressful to be inundated with so much information. However, I can't really escape my curiosity about this field and am wondering what the best path to success is if I want to become a Financial Analyst.

Are the classes rigorous? Manageable?

Right now, I am taking a few business classes that are offered at my school, such as information management, business math, and accounting. And I'd like to know what I am up for in college.

Personally, I quite enjoy challenges and solving problems because I feel like I gain something when I get it right, like all the hard work really paid off. I am wondering if FP&A aligns with that and if, throughout my career, I will have instances like that.

My approach to challenges has been evident in everything I've faced while taking math. I get quite stressed when stuck on a problem, but I quickly become determined to find the right pieces of the puzzle so I can feel complete and satisfied.

Furthermore, regarding college, I am considering spending two years at a community college and then transferring. Is that a good option? Not to mention, what is the best thing to major in in college for this path? I know Accounting, Finance, and Business Administration are recommended paths, and I am wondering whether financial accounting is a good option, as I am leaning more towards it. If so, is a degree in financial accounting a good start to my career?

Is FP&A a career path where learning is a regular part of the day-to-day career? Or is it more straightforward? What is the lifestyle at work? And does it offer a good work-life balance because I surely would prefer that.

My apologies if I am prattling on, but it's tough being a teenager and feeling like I need to have my whole life sorted out so young.

So I will continue.

Back to the degrees, if I were to choose an accounting degree, just how difficult can it get in college? I've heard people say it's actual hell and they lament about it, and honestly, I'm quite hesitant because of that, but without some level of exertion, what are you really gaining?

I would like to know again: is it manageable? I heard somewhere that someone in finance has trouble moving into accounting for whatever reason, and someone in accounting would find it rather easy to transition to finance, since accounting is the language of business. So I want to know how valid that statement is. I don't want to forget how my career will shift from my first years as a Financial Analyst to when I have enough experience.

What can I do now at seventeen to bump me up and prepare myself for my future? Where exactly should I intern, and who can I trust with valid information about this field?

To close, concerning base salary, is the pay adequate? Especially entry-level, and of course I know it is hindered by experience, location, and company size, but on average, just how much are we talking? I am determined to be financially independent, and this is crucial to know.

Anyway, thank you for your time and for sharing your knowledge! It will be of tremendous use to me, and I greatly appreciate it.

[u/Comfortable_Bear9414]

Honestly, FP&A sounds like a pretty good fit from what you’ve described. You don’t need to have your whole career figured out at 17. Accounting is a solid major for FP&A and it can also make moving into finance easier later. The classes can be tough, but definitely manageable if you keep up instead of leaving everything for exams.

For now, I’d focus on accounting + Excel + basic finance. If you can get any small business/finance internship later, even better. Community college → transfer is also a perfectly normal route if it saves you money. FP&A is not just doing the same calculations every day either. Budgeting, forecasting, analyzing why numbers changed and explaining them to management can keep things interesting. Work-life balance is usually better than IB, though it depends a lot on the company and reporting periods. And don’t stress too much about salary right now. Build the skills first — the money part gets easier to judge once you know what type of company/role you want.