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Money. Responsibility. An impressive title. These things can make a job sound glamorous, but for someone looking to go into a profession, nothing is better than cutting through the surface to get a better look at the job's day-to-day functions. After seeing a position like financial analyst in this light, you'll be better able to decide to pursue a career or steer clear. Find out what it takes to become a financial analyst and what you'll need to succeed.

Aptitude with Numbers

A bachelor's degree in any discipline is acceptable. Majoring in business is not necessarily the only way into the field, although it does help. A technical background in the computer, physical or biological sciences is probably more helpful than a liberal arts major. The real key is to have a demonstrated ability to work with numbers, because each company generally trains its incoming class of financial analysts before they begin the job.

Strong Sense of Purpose

Financial analysts gather information, assemble spreadsheets, write reports and review all pertinent, nonlegal information about prospective business deals. They may examine the feasibility of a business acquisition and prepare a plan based on that financial analysis. For example, an analyst with an investment bank might evaluate the relative attractiveness of a stock for the firm's brokers to recommend to clients. At a bank, the analyst might study a company's creditworthiness to help determine whether the bank should lend it money.

You need to have a strong sense of purpose to become a financial analyst, and you must know your future lies in the financial world. An analyst needs to be able to interact with clients, handle a heavy workload, prioritize, complete work under strict deadlines, work as part of a team, and work with computer spreadsheet and valuation programs.

Being a successful financial analyst requires a keen awareness of financial trends. This means a heavy reading load for keeping abreast of news stories, market movements and industry profiles in financial newspapers, magazines and books. If a deal demands it, the analyst must be prepared to travel anywhere for indeterminate lengths of time.

Socializing for Success

If you want to rise in the industry, you'll need to spend a fair amount of time attending social events and conferences. After-hours socializing is also expected, which can be expensive. The social circle tends to gravitate toward high-priced attire and costly hobbies, like golfing or wine collecting.

Early in your career, you can expect to sacrifice a lot of control over your personal life. However, few other entry-level positions provide the possibility of such a large payoff at year's end. Many companies use bonuses to attract and hold intelligent personnel. Often these bonuses can be equal to or double the starting salary.

An occasional 15-hour day is not unusual. Neither is an occasional night spent sleeping in the office. But the long hours tend to create a club of sorts. One survey shows that more than 70 percent of financial analysts call their colleagues "extremely supportive." This camaraderie helps analysts tolerate the demanding work schedule. All this work can lead to substantial financial rewards, but with such a busy schedule, analysts may find it difficult to find the free time to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

The purpose of this article is to both provide information and facilitate general dialogue about various employment-related topics. No legal advice is being given and no attorney-client relationship created. Please see the disclaimer for further limitations and conditions.