Perhaps the first and most obvious course of action is to simply choose an appropriate major. These include business, economics, finance or accounting. Personal financial-planning programs are being offered at more universities, both at the graduate and undergraduate levels. These programs can be especially helpful because they also often touch upon a number of topics that other programs fail to cover. These topics include consumer rights, the dynamics of finance within the family and the psychology of retirement.

 

Traditional financial-planning curricula will only cover material that is directly relevant to the Board exam, such as investments, insurance and taxes. Therefore, choosing financial planning as a major will provide students with a much broader base of knowledge from which to begin their careers. Understanding the psychology of finance and investing will be an invaluable aid when dealing with clients, and is in fact a skill that all financial planners must master to some extent.

 

Of course, choosing the correct major is only one step that students can take to further their careers before graduation. There are a number of other options available to students that will look good on a resume to prospective employers.

 

Graduates have a number of tools at their disposal that can greatly increase their exposure to the financial community. Obviously, a graduate who completed an internship at a local company has a substantial advantage over an unknown competitor in the job-selection process.

 

For those who do not have this luxury, the Internet can be an indispensable resource. Websites continually list all available postings from many companies. Those who prefer to take a face-to-face approach and network themselves (and even those who don't) would be wise to join the local chapter of a financial planning organization, such as the Financial Planning Association or the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. These groups offer many resources to both rookie and veteran planners and are well worth the cost of membership. Their websites often contain job postings, too.

 

College students have many things that they can do to improve their marketability before graduation. Once you're out in the real world, remember that the initial key to success in the financial planning business is persistence. Some graduates will find their place in the field immediately, while others may have to try a few different working environments to find the one that best suits them. Hard work and perseverance will always pay off for those who are willing to risk failure to achieve their dreams.