Data Snapshot
The Data Snapshot for Finance (PDF) helps educators, students and parents see connections between the Plans of Study and career opportunities in high-skill, high wage, in-demand fields.
Matt Matthews
Credit Analyst, The First National Bank of Central Texas, Waco, Texas
- Prince Edward County High School, Prince Edward County Public Schools
- CTE studies: Finance
- Additional studies: Bachelor’s in Business Administration, Mississippi State University; MBA, Mississippi State University
A smart investment
It may only have been high school, but Matt Matthews was already interested in the value of a dollar. He remembers being particularly impressed by a speaker from the financial services firm Edward Jones, who visited his high school finance class and through a couple of calculations showed that investing a small amount of money over a long period of time could go a long way.
“I guess I was interested in being smart with the money that I do make and knowing the different investment opportunities that might be out there,” Matt says.
As a credit analyst for The First National Bank of Central Texas, Matt helps loan officers with lending decisions. He analyzes multiple types of loans including business, corporate, and consumer loans.
“If you come in for a loan, I look at your credit report and tax returns and I see whether or not you are able to get a loan,” says Matt. “In this job, you get to see a lot of different stuff, a lot of different loans.”
Matt says the skills he has learned in his career so far are useful professionally and personally. Through his job he’s gained an understanding of how credit cards, loans, and debt work.
In the future, Matt says he can see himself becoming a loan officer or owning his own business. “A career in finance allows for a lot of career options. People benefit from it regardless of what they do because you have a basic understanding of how a balance sheet or income statement works.”
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Aaron Brown- Future job: Public Accountant with Deloitte
- Woodbridge Senior High School,
Prince William County Public Schools - CTE studies: Accounting
- Additional studies: B.A. in Accounting, Morehouse College
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Accounting lessons in Africa
Aaron Brown’s interest in accounting has taken him around the world. Aaron, who is currently completing his Master’s of Accounting at Wake Forest University, spent two months in summer 2011 as a teacher’s assistant for Accounting Principles 1 and 2 at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco.
Aaron had the opportunity to teach, grade, and tutor students at the university, which was made up of both Moroccan and American students. “I had a true hands-on experience,” he says.
After Aaron finishes his master’s degree, he plans to take the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) exam and already has a job lined up as a public accountant in Deloitte’s San Francisco office. Aaron hopes that the job may lead to some future opportunities abroad.
Aaron first was introduced to the accounting field at Woodbridge Senior High School in Prince William County. “I had a really good teacher, and it sparked my interest,” he says. “When I got to college and excelled in my accounting classes, I stuck with it.”
The high school courses provided a good foundation and overview of accounting, which Aaron says he still uses today.
Internships were a key aspect of Aaron’s success. His internships included Black Enterprise magazine in New York City, BAE Systems in Manassas, and Deloitte’s San Francisco office, which helped him land his job. The office even agreed to defer his job for a year so he could earn his master’s and sit for the CPA exam.
“I can honestly say that becoming a business major during my undergraduate career has been one of the best decisions of my life,” Aaron says.
The Finance cluster is about planning, services for financial and investment planning, banking, insurance and business financial management.
Employment Projections: 2010-2020
Finance is one of the smallest career clusters and is not projected to grow by a substantial amount over the next decade. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates that about 3.8 million workers were employed in the cluster in 2010, and expects to see fewer than 500,000 jobs added through 2020. The expected growth rate of about 11 percent is about average compared to other clusters.
The report Employment Projections for the Finance Career Cluster 2010-2020 includes data on occupations growing faster that the nation average, pathways employment overview, occupations with the most job openings, and employment projections.
Occupations in this cluster and what they make in Virginia |
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| Occupation | Employed in VA | Typical salary | Education level** |
Accountants and auditors |
35,210 |
$39K – $109K |
4C |
Budget analysts |
2,850 |
$45K – $102K |
4C/MD |
Credit analysts |
1,900 |
$36K – $115K |
4C |
Credit authorizers and clerks |
930 |
$23K – $52K |
HS |
Economists |
470 |
$50K – $155K |
4C/MD/DP |
Financial analysts |
8,540 |
$46K – $145K |
4C/MD |
Financial managers |
13,340 |
$58K – $187K* |
4C |
Financial services sales agents |
4,870 |
$32K – $187K* |
4C |
Insurance appraisers (auto) |
240 |
$40K – $82K |
4C |
Insurance sales agents |
8,050 |
$25K – $115K |
4C |
Insurance underwriters |
1,700 |
$37K – $107K |
4C |
Loan interviewers and clerks |
5,360 |
$23K – $49K |
HS |
Loan officers |
8,150 |
$32K – $115K |
4C |
Personal financial advisers |
2,790 |
$32K – $111K |
4C/MD |
Real estate appraisers |
1,490 |
$25K – $91K |
4C |
Tax preparers |
1,550 |
$18K – $71K |
4C |
Tellers |
13,300 |
$19K – $33K |
HS |
Title examiners |
1,240 |
$24K – $71K |
4C |
| Occupation | Employed in VA | Typical salary | Education level** |
| Accountants and auditors | 33,990 | $39K – $107K | 4C |
* 90th percentile earns more than $187,199
** | HS: High school | CC: Community college | 4C: Four-year college | MD: Master’s degree | DP: Doctoral or Professional degree |
Career Cluster Planning
A resource for counselors, administrators, and educators
CTE Administrative Planning Guide (APG) – includes information to help local school divisions plan and schedule instructional programs. The APG is organized by career clusters, with a complete listing of courses, concentration sequences, and credentials available to students as they plan for career entry and continuing education. Users may access course information by cluster or by searching for specific courses or certifications.
Career Planning Guide – includes an easy way for students and counselors to look for courses to further career goals. One can search for occupations, browse by Career Clusters or favorite academic subjects.
Academic and Career Plans of Study
Development Information
Information and tips for instructional leaders, administrators, counselors and teachers/faculty for creating a career pathway academic and career plan of study.
Sample Academic and Career Plans of Study
School divisions are asked to develop sample plans of study based on the courses offered within their schools, the employment needs of the region, and the post-high school educational opportunities needed for these careers. Once these sample plans are developed, they can be customized to the needs of individual students so that all students have the opportunity to have an individualized academic and career plan of study.
Sample Pathway Plans of Study for Finance:
- Accounting (Word)
- Banking Services (Word)
- Business Finance (Word)
- Insurance (Word)
- Securities & Investments (Word)
- Blank Plan of Study (with fields) (Word)
Also see Sample Plans of Study for all clusters and pathways.
Resources
The Career Clusters logo and its extensions are the property of the National Career Technical Foundation, as managed by NASDCTEc. Some content on this page is from the publication, R U College & Career Ready? - 2013 Edition; and is used here with permission from the Virginia Business Publications LLC and Trailblazers in the Demographics and Workforce Section of the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia.
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