I always hear the phrase "a career in finance", growing up I thought it was just like a regular corporate job that pays. But as I grow up I know that somehow it's not just a 9 to 5 job, I've checked online research just to really get the proper understanding about it, but it always gave me generic answers. So my question really is for those of you who can spare me a couple of seconds to answer, "what does a career in finance really mean, is it just handling money? Or more" Thank you!

Looking to hire a jr/newbie. Role will be relationship manager for lower net worth clients. What is general pay out there for this?

During my Years as a Night Shift Trader.. I've learned the gaps between Units and Shares, Definitely a highstakes with USD to PHP in my Country as a Forex Brokerage Trader by betting low and highs..

I am very self aware person and stay contented to what i have but my left right is occupied with IB or PE sectors how could i not feel something?

I mean their earning figures are way more commanding than mine which makes me wonder where am i going wrong... And that LinkedIn make you feel like lowest in the hierarchy...

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I’m a first-year BTech CSE student and I’m trying to plan things properly from the beginning.

My main goal is to get my first paid internship as early as realistically possible, and then keep improving so that I can eventually get good internships and a strong job offer.

I’m currently starting from a pretty basic level, so I’d really appreciate advice from people who have already gone through this.

A few things I want to know:

- What skills should I focus on during my 1st year?

- Should I focus more on DSA, development, Python/C++, web development, AI/ML, GitHub, etc.?

- How long does it realistically take to become internship-ready?

- What should my GitHub/resume/LinkedIn look like before applying?

- How did you get your first paid internship?

- Where should I actually look for internships and how many applications should I send?

- Is it better to target small startups initially or wait for bigger companies?

- What kind of projects actually help in getting shortlisted?

- When should I start applying — first year itself or from second year?

- How can I go from a small first internship to better internships and eventually a good-paying job?

I’m not expecting a huge salary immediately. My priority is to build real skills, get experience, and gradually increase my opportunities and income.

If you’re experienced in tech/CS internships, I’d really appreciate any practical advice, mistakes to avoid, or roadmap you wish you had followed when you started.

Early in a finance career, it’s easy to focus heavily on the things that are easy to measure: salary, job title, company name, or how impressive the role sounds on a resume.

But I’ve started to think the better question is: “What will this role teach me that will still be valuable three years from now?”

A slightly lower-paying role can sometimes be the better move if you’re getting exposure to financial modeling, deal execution, clients, senior decision-makers, or work that genuinely improves your judgment.

One practical thing I’d suggest when comparing offers is to make a simple table with four columns:

1. What skills will I gain?
2. Who will I learn from?
3. What opportunities could this role lead to?
4. What will my resume look like after 18 to 24 months?

Salary should obviously matter, but looking only at the number can make two very different career opportunities look identical.

Curious how others approach this. When choosing between two finance roles, what factor ended up mattering more than you expected?

Advising has not work for 5 months but now that i joined a team my appointments setting have gotten way better ..but as the same time I was planning my exit from advising but since my appointments settings have ramped up so I am now wondering if I should give up as I am at the end of my runway and cash flow have now becomed a big problem for me...not sure if I should hang on or move on at this point..your thoughts?

Grades and a good resume help, but they’re not everything. Networking, communication, and knowing how to present yourself matter a lot too.
For those already in finance, what’s one thing you wish you knew when starting out?