Deregulation has allowed banks to diversify into financial planning, brokerage and insurance services. Venture capital firms raise money from private and institutional investors to invest in young companies that they hope will be very successful. A career in financial services means working in an office setting, usually in the financial heart of a city. The average work week is between 40 and 80 hours. Late nights and weekends are frequent, and there's little margin for error, however tired you might be.
Social skills are important.
Meeting with clients and gaining their confidence is vital. The securities and commodities industry in the U.S. employed 644,700 wage and salary workers in 1998, with the brokerage firms attracting the most applicants. The higher level positions are very competitive. The insurance industry employed 2.3 million wage and salary workers in 1998. Part-time employees make up 8.8 percent of the work force.