How to be successful

“I want to be a basketball player or doctor.”

When I was younger I thought I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up.  Now that I am about to begin the process and journey of becoming what I want to be when I grow up I decided to become a business major.  I’m interested in having a job where I will make money and be financially stable.  This job is to become a successful financial consultant.  Being a business major is no easy task and takes a lot of hard work and dedication.  Once becoming a financial consultant there are many aspects of the individual in how successful you will become.  After doing a little research I found the answer to my question of how to become a successful businessman in the area of finance.

            Growing up I’ve heard numerous times from both my parents and teachers say you have to lose money to make money.  It’s all the same concept of losing and gaining and in the end the gain is success.  To most success in the business world is to make money but there are also other ways of being successful it just depends on what the individuals goals are.  There are ways of going about being successful in the business finance world.  It starts with gaining knowledge and attaining a degree in college.  In order for me to achieve this success I have to take certain classes and follow a map to enter the business field.  Next after attaining my degree there is the responsibility of finding a job in the business world with a degree in finance.  Then what most people look forward to is the success and benefits of being in the business field. The road ahead of becoming a business finance major is going to be difficult but I believe the rewards in the long run will be worth it.

To enter the college of business the prerequisites are the same for everyone no matter what specific major you are.  Like every other student, business majors must take the required liberal art classes such as English, History, Science, and writing courses.  In addition to the liberal studies business majors need to take classes such as micro and macro economics, college algebra, statistics and other sorts of math classes.  These courses are considered prerequisites or classes needed to be taken in order to get into the college of business.  Another major point is that business majors have to maintain a GPA of over a 2.9.  Depending on my GPA, I should get accepted into the college of business by the end of my sophomore year.  Once I am accepted into the college of business I am going to focus on classes dealing with finance as well as all the other students and their majors. 

Once a business major finishes the required general education coursework he or she would move on to classes just focused on finance.  Classes such as this would include Principles of Accounting I and II, Business Statistics, Marketing Principles and Organization, and many other finance courses.  I am currently working on my general studies coursework and won’t begin the business finance courses until my junior year.  This is the same for many other majors within the business program.  Taking these classes will help prepare myself in deciding what career path I want to take.

Jobs in finance are expected to grow faster than average for the next ten years.  A reason for this is because many people such as home owners are looking for someone with experience to help them get out of debt.  Not only will finance jobs grow but jobs in finance expand in many areas such as corporate and international financial management, personal financial planning and financial services, brokerage firms, commercial and investment banks, and insurance companies.      Along with the many job expansions the field of finance also offers a variety of careers to choose from.  These career options include commercial banking, corporate finance, investment banking, money managers, financial planners, insurance industry, and financial managing.  I am looking into getting involved with the career of financial consulting.  I’m interested in the career of financial consulting it’s something I find interesting and I can see myself being successful at doing.

The career of a financial consultant isn’t easy and requires a great deal of understanding of different situations.  Understanding is one of the many great qualities of a successful financial consultant.  My job would be to provide advice for certain situations as a financial consultant.  These situations are as follows: security pricing, strategies for creating shareholder value, business valuation, economic forecast and analysis, and input to treasury management.  To sum things up the main role of a financial consultant is to help a client plan financially through investments.  The salary of a financial consultant varies because ultimately it’s up to the individual on how much he charges.  An individual consultant can make up to or beyond $175,000 a year.  Consultants working for a firm, the firm could charge anywhere from $200 to $400 an hour for their services.  Being a financial consultant cannot promise a lot of money fast but instead it’s a long time career because there is no maximum amount of money you can make.  Making money in the business world is how many people determine their success.  As a consultant certain qualities of the individual actually decide on an individual’s success.

To be a successful consultant it’s always good to have a great educational background and it doesn’t hurt to have as many degrees as you can.  But having a degree is not the only way to make it as a successful business consultant.  To be a consultant you have to have a strong personality.  You must have the desire to work hard and work with people.  Being able to form strong relationships with clients is also another quality that helps in the success for your clients and yourself in the future.  Another main quality of a successful consultant is the ability to understand and work with the client.  As a consultant you must be able to sit, listen, and understand everything about the client financially so you can help and create a financial plan.  To further prove that having a degree is the only way to be successful I had the privilege to interview a very successful businessman.  His name is Jeffrey Bonvallat who is President of Bon Investments.  I had just a couple of questions to get an already successful businessman’s point of view on how he became so successful.

Quincy:  Did you know what you wanted to major in when you began college?

Jeffrey:  Yes and no.  I knew that I had an interest in business, but I didn't pick
a major until my junior year after I had tried courses in many different
subjects.  I ultimately doubled majored in Business & Political Science.

Quincy:  What made you choose to become a business major?

Jeffrey:  I was good with numbers, and I had an early interest in the stock market
and business.  Little things, like selling gum to my brother & sister from
my "candy store" when I was very young were an indication that business was
a natural for me.

Quincy:  How did you get to where you are now in your career?