How to Become a Financial Analyst in 2025

Based on analysis of 1,000 job postings, we present our report's findings for an accurate overview of the financial analyst profession.
𝐉𝐨𝐛 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐞
Depending on the company they work for, financial analysts have different degrees of specialization. In small firms, a financial analyst will have a 360-degree visibility on revenue growth rate, product sales, profitability margins, top clients, and will possibly study the financial impact of different business lines the company has. They will also work with various balance sheet items and prepare budgeting projections. This isn’t the case in big firms where financial analysts specialize and are responsible for reporting and analysis of specific P&L and Balance sheet items.
When I worked at Coca-Cola in the UK, for a significant portion of my time I was worked on analyzing the performance of the Monster brand and studied Sales, Cost of goods sold and OPEX for that brand only – no visibility of the firm’s Balance sheet, and anything below EBITDA. I also didn’t work on the company’s other brands such as Coca-Cola, Fanta, and so on.
But despite their different levels of specialization, financial analysts aim to create value for a business by supporting decisions and analyzing financial data, forecasting future financial performance, and evaluating investment opportunities.
A financial analyst’s work helps management understand which operations are profitable and how business activities impact the firm’s financial performance.

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬
Glassdoor and PayScale are kind enough to share their insights.
Embarking on a financial analyst career, you can anticipate starting with an average salary of $73,000. As your career progresses, expect to earn a higher wage—with analysts having four to six years of experience making over $90,000 annually.
Pursuing a career as a financial analyst is an excellent starting point—potentially leading to such roles as financial controller, finance manager, and even CFO.
Many aspiring financial analysts wonder, "Is a university degree necessary for employment?"
Our analysis of 1,000 job postings reveals that 38% require a bachelor’s degree, 29% a master's, and 32% do not specify a university degree as a prerequisite. So, while lacking a university degree does not preclude you from securing a financial analyst position, it does reduce the available opportunities.

𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐭
Number one on the list is Excel proficiency—a requirement for solid Excel skills in 60% of job postings.
It's important to note that in the corporate sphere, Microsoft Excel is akin to Google and other spreadsheet software to Bing. Our study shows that 99.6% of companies prefer Microsoft Excel.
The most sought-after skills for financial analysis (forecasting, budgeting, client, cost, and revenue analysis) are all covered in our 365 Financial Analyst program.
If you're committed to securing a financial analyst position, click the link in the description for an invaluable resource in your job hunt.

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬
Many candidates often wonder if a professional finance certification is necessary for employment. Our findings indicate that the CPA certification is the most commonly sought-after—appearing in 12% of job listings, followed by CFA at 3%.
Other commonly cited Office productivity tools include PowerPoint (14%), Access (13%), and Word (12%), alongside Microsoft Excel.
In larger companies, financial analysts are often required to work with a sophisticated Enterprise Resource Planning system. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that numerous job listings, particularly from big companies, highlight the demand for robust ERP expertise—particularly in SAP (12%) and Oracle (6%).

We’ll continue to share tutorial videos to help you on your journey to landing your dream job. Please 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲, 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟯𝟲𝟱 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 if you find this video helpful.
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#365financialanalyst #careerinfinance #careerpath #finance #financialplanningandanalysis #learnfinance #cfaexam #cpa #frm #cfp #learn365

[NatashaSmith-uh]

I thank God for my life, I continue to make money online on a weekly basis

[joemacy]

I am a recent college graduate who graduated with a BS in mathematics about 16 months ago. I am interested in potentially pursuing a career as a financial analyst or possibly some other type of analyst. I know that statistics is probably a big part of the job, so I'm sure a strong math background would be valuable to employers in this field. I just don't know how to go about getting into this field with having absolutely zero experience.

[ravinduakalanka]

Can bachelor's degree in finance holder become a financial analyst of an investment bank?

[Debayan_Mukherjee]

I am a college graduate with honors in Statistics....am I eligible for pursuing a career in finance analytics???

[elochukwuchukwujiobi]

I'm a recent mathematics graduate
With moderate knowledge of SQL, excel and power bi
I have a passion to be a financial analyst but i don't know if I should get the certification first or do a MBA before procuring a CFA certification

[ayasabry]

Thank you so much, it's perfect.

[mohamedelmansouri]

Hello, I'm confusing why there's no video that explain investment analyst carrer ?
please if you mind can you explain more about investment analyst carrer

[ilc-nlyy]

Good own Tesla shares in two different brokerage accounts. One of them, I'm still doing decent, and in the other one, I'm about to break even. I'm considering selling my shares in the second one and it's enough to pay off my house. I have 20 more years left on my mortgage and it would be nice having the deed. Is this a good move? I'd be 100% debt free, which would reduce my stress level.

[Ashnii-sv]

Which a level subjects should I choose in order to become a financial analyst??

[MidhuEldho-oict]

I am a BA Economics graduate is it possible for me to switch my career to financial analyst

[GudrunKamealoha]

Your lessons help me improve my trading strategy. Thank you for your expertise and experience!😆

[nurindahdewi]

What about management and logistics administration degree? Is it possible to become a financial analyst?

[nabilriyad]

Has anyone done his course? I want to hear from real people not from people who gave reviews in his site.

[nitakhatri]

Is doing MBA in finance helpful for the financial analyst role

[successnow]

Is doing CMA helpful for financial analyst job

[DrFrost-uvgf]

Recently completed my MBA in finance and banking and this is helpful in many ways 😊

[ThuLe-kjxm]

Which certificates I should have to become a Financial Analyst? (I'm a sophomore)

[awaizzahid]

sir if i as an ACCA intern work in ERP of pwc and than switch to ACCA will this give me an edge in carrier or not?

[yvpsnow]

Can a civil engineering guy can enter into this field

[Sheshh_CaLe]

Can i ask? I'm upcoming graduate as a bsbafm. So I'm thinking can they hire me in abroad without work experience as a financial analyst i want to work abroad asap without work experience i just want to leave my country 🙃🙃