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Hi what’s the the best job from what I want from a job and preferences so I want great pay great work life balance interesting and fun and enjoyable and not boring and repetitive at all and also is not related to toons of problem solving coding and writing toons of essays also I like communicating and helping people and from this can you think of any jobs???

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I mean its going to be pretty hard to find a job with great pay, great work/life balance, as well as being enjoyable/interesting without repetition. Simply because the type of job you're describing would either be a job on the higher end of a company's organisation hierarchy which would require the essay writing/writing reports or management etc, which some would say is not 'interesting'. Or does not exist at all. Furthermore, communication doesn't mean much in terms of a skill, as it is a soft skill it can apply to a wide range of industries involving team management, hospitality, and any job that involves interoperating departments and teams. I would say it is a bit naïve to expect high pay, not a lot of work, low education alongside being interesting and non-repetitive.
Reply 2
Well your wrong darling because I found a job in finance called financial advisor someone who wanted to be an accountant but switched because this job like has everything I want and want from a job btw what degree you recommend me studying at uni???

Original post by joe_y.i
I mean its going to be pretty hard to find a job with great pay, great work/life balance, as well as being enjoyable/interesting without repetition. Simply because the type of job you're describing would either be a job on the higher end of a company's organisation hierarchy which would require the essay writing/writing reports or management etc, which some would say is not 'interesting'. Or does not exist at all. Furthermore, communication doesn't mean much in terms of a skill, as it is a soft skill it can apply to a wide range of industries involving team management, hospitality, and any job that involves interoperating departments and teams. I would say it is a bit naïve to expect high pay, not a lot of work, low education alongside being interesting and non-repetitive.
Original post by aryc_30
Well your wrong darling because I found a job in finance called financial advisor someone who wanted to be an accountant but switched because this job like has everything I want and want from a job btw what degree you recommend me studying at uni???



Well if it is a financial advisor you'd need something finance related such as Accounting, Business Management, etc. And then you could start in a bank or something similar and work up. You'd likely also need to attain a Level 4 qualification in financial advice recognised by the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority). Though you did say not many essays so this was one of the reasons many industries were cut out, as most university courses and accreditation require some level of essay writing.
Original post by aryc_30
Well your wrong darling because I found a job in finance called financial advisor someone who wanted to be an accountant but switched because this job like has everything I want and want from a job btw what degree you recommend me studying at uni???

If that's what you want (I wouldn't agree with your prognosis, but there you go), then you would need a Level 4 FCA recognised certification that allows you to do this, as @joe_y.i has said.

The job profiles for financial advisor include the following:
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/financial-adviser
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/financial-adviser
https://www.careerpilot.org.uk/job-sectors/finance-accounting/job-profile/financial-adviser

FCA list their regonised/approved qualifications on the following page: https://www.handbook.fca.org.uk/handbook/TC/App/4/1.html

The list of approved qualifications include:

Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning from the Chartered Insurance Institute ( https://www.cii.co.uk/learning/qualifications/diploma-in-regulated-financial-planning-qualification)

Diploma for Financial Advisers from the London Institute of Banking and Finance (https://www.libf.ac.uk/study/professional-qualifications/financial-advice/diploma-for-financial-advisers-dipfa)

Investment Advice Diploma from the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (https://www.cisi.org/cisiweb2/cisi-website/study-with-us/wealth-retail/investment-advice-diploma)


The Level 4 diploma would allow you to sell to clients certain financial products, buit you would usually need someone senior with chartered status to close the sale. The chartered levels are at Levle 6, and that's what you usually move onto afterwards.
There are other Level 4 qualifications that allow you to sell financial advice, but you would need to check the tables e.g. CFA's Investment Management Certificate (Level 4) plus other qualifications that meet specialist standards for advising on packaged products, CBI's Diploma in Investment Planning, CISI's Diploma in Financial Planning, FoIA's Fellow or Associate or where the individual has passed all of the following modules CT1, CT2, CT4, CT5, CT6, CT7 and CT8, Pensions Management Institute's Diploma in Regulated Retirement Advice.

Contrary to what joe_y.i has said though, you don't need a degree to get into this line of work. In fact, you don't need any prior qualifications (although it's not an excuse to fail your A Levels if you are already doing them).

Should you do a degree for any reason to allow yourself to do something similar, you're looking at the following (as per FCA - activity numbers 4 and 6):
Manchester Metropolitan University BA (Hons) Financial Services, Planning and Management
University of Northampton BSc Banking and Financial Planning
University of South Wales BSc (Hons) Financial Planning, Investment and Risk
University of Stirling BA in Finance, BA in Finance and Accounting

If you do any other degree, then you would need to do qualifications that would allow you to do Activities 4 and 6 - selling financial advice is a regulated activity, and not having the correct qualification that allows you to do it can mean serious professional and legal repercussions.

If you want to do a degree in another subject as a back up for a different career path then do one of the suitable professional qualifications above, you can do so.
Reply 5
What would you do study degree or apprenticeship and btw if degree what uni and degree if apprenticeship which apprenticeship etc which route would you do if in my position???

Original post by MindMax2000
If that's what you want (I wouldn't agree with your prognosis, but there you go), then you would need a Level 4 FCA recognised certification that allows you to do this, as @joe_y.i has said.

The job profiles for financial advisor include the following:
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/financial-adviser
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/financial-adviser
https://www.careerpilot.org.uk/job-sectors/finance-accounting/job-profile/financial-adviser

FCA list their regonised/approved qualifications on the following page: https://www.handbook.fca.org.uk/handbook/TC/App/4/1.html

The list of approved qualifications include:

Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning from the Chartered Insurance Institute ( https://www.cii.co.uk/learning/qualifications/diploma-in-regulated-financial-planning-qualification)

Diploma for Financial Advisers from the London Institute of Banking and Finance (https://www.libf.ac.uk/study/professional-qualifications/financial-advice/diploma-for-financial-advisers-dipfa)

Investment Advice Diploma from the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (https://www.cisi.org/cisiweb2/cisi-website/study-with-us/wealth-retail/investment-advice-diploma)


The Level 4 diploma would allow you to sell to clients certain financial products, buit you would usually need someone senior with chartered status to close the sale. The chartered levels are at Levle 6, and that's what you usually move onto afterwards.
There are other Level 4 qualifications that allow you to sell financial advice, but you would need to check the tables e.g. CFA's Investment Management Certificate (Level 4) plus other qualifications that meet specialist standards for advising on packaged products, CBI's Diploma in Investment Planning, CISI's Diploma in Financial Planning, FoIA's Fellow or Associate or where the individual has passed all of the following modules CT1, CT2, CT4, CT5, CT6, CT7 and CT8, Pensions Management Institute's Diploma in Regulated Retirement Advice.

Contrary to what joe_y.i has said though, you don't need a degree to get into this line of work. In fact, you don't need any prior qualifications (although it's not an excuse to fail your A Levels if you are already doing them).

Should you do a degree for any reason to allow yourself to do something similar, you're looking at the following (as per FCA - activity numbers 4 and 6):
Manchester Metropolitan University BA (Hons) Financial Services, Planning and Management
University of Northampton BSc Banking and Financial Planning
University of South Wales BSc (Hons) Financial Planning, Investment and Risk
University of Stirling BA in Finance, BA in Finance and Accounting

If you do any other degree, then you would need to do qualifications that would allow you to do Activities 4 and 6 - selling financial advice is a regulated activity, and not having the correct qualification that allows you to do it can mean serious professional and legal repercussions.

If you want to do a degree in another subject as a back up for a different career path then do one of the suitable professional qualifications above, you can do so.
Original post by aryc_30
What would you do study degree or apprenticeship and btw if degree what uni and degree if apprenticeship which apprenticeship etc which route would you do if in my position???


If you're only interested in going into financial advisory, then it's usually recommended that you go for degree apprenticeships with big name employers. What they would often do is to get you to do one of the entry levl professional qualifications mentioned above; the more important thing is to get a job that you can keep for a long while.

It's not absolutely mandatory that you do a degree apprenticeship e.g. you can go into a financial advisory firm and then study for one of the above professional qualifications after your A Levels or degree (A Levels and degree in any subject). However, doing a degree apprenticeship would allow you to get the experience and the reputation of the firm on your CV.

If you want to do a random degree then later go into financial advisory, then you can generally go into a degree in any subject so long you have enough connections and a good enough network to move into the role. In these cases, it helps that you graduate from a top uni where there is a good alumni network, but this is not necessary if you have a good network.
Contrary to popular belief, a degree in finance or something quantitative isn't going to help distinguish you from the competition. nor are the degrees necessary to get into financial advisory. For example, I know of a family friend who did a degree in media from a mid-tier uni and later got into financial advisory in the City through her connections.
If you want to do an MPharm degree as a back up, you can do so and still get into financial advisory.

Do note: financial advisory is a sales oriented role i.e. you have sales targets and you would be talking nonstop. Whilst there are professional elements i.e. you need to adhere to specific regulations and fill in necessary paperwork, it's still a front office role. If you're not a sales person, you might struggle to get into this role.
Reply 7
Omg I wanted to become a pharmacist aswell yk and financial advisor can you show me what your recommend after college and what a levels you recommend me picking and what to do after thanks and tell me how your family friend got into both financial advisory and media btw I’m interested in mpharm but also still getting into financial advisory can you help thanks best person have gone to???

Original post by MindMax2000
If you're only interested in going into financial advisory, then it's usually recommended that you go for degree apprenticeships with big name employers. What they would often do is to get you to do one of the entry levl professional qualifications mentioned above; the more important thing is to get a job that you can keep for a long while.

It's not absolutely mandatory that you do a degree apprenticeship e.g. you can go into a financial advisory firm and then study for one of the above professional qualifications after your A Levels or degree (A Levels and degree in any subject). However, doing a degree apprenticeship would allow you to get the experience and the reputation of the firm on your CV.

If you want to do a random degree then later go into financial advisory, then you can generally go into a degree in any subject so long you have enough connections and a good enough network to move into the role. In these cases, it helps that you graduate from a top uni where there is a good alumni network, but this is not necessary if you have a good network.
Contrary to popular belief, a degree in finance or something quantitative isn't going to help distinguish you from the competition. nor are the degrees necessary to get into financial advisory. For example, I know of a family friend who did a degree in media from a mid-tier uni and later got into financial advisory in the City through her connections.
If you want to do an MPharm degree as a back up, you can do so and still get into financial advisory.

Do note: financial advisory is a sales oriented role i.e. you have sales targets and you would be talking nonstop. Whilst there are professional elements i.e. you need to adhere to specific regulations and fill in necessary paperwork, it's still a front office role. If you're not a sales person, you might struggle to get into this role.
Original post by aryc_30
Omg I wanted to become a pharmacist aswell yk and financial advisor can you show me what your recommend after college and what a levels you recommend me picking and what to do after thanks and tell me how your family friend got into both financial advisory and media btw I’m interested in mpharm but also still getting into financial advisory can you help thanks best person have gone to???

Well, I did remember responding to a couple of your questions before.

Other than financial advice and pharmacy, I forgot what else that you were thinking of doing (I remember that it's one of the professions where you don't need a degree in order to get into it though, just a specific professional qualification).

From your selection of jobs, pharmacy is the only one that I know of that specifically needs a degree. You can go into the other professions with either no degree or a degree in any subject. As pharmacy is the limiting factor, I would focus on doing the MPharm until you firmly decide by the end of the degree what you want to do.

To do MPharm degrees, you would typically need A Level Chemistry + 2 A Levels in any other subjects (one preferably being biology, but I don't thinks it's strictly required from memory).

I think my family friend go into financial advisory through grad application i.e. she applied for grad roles right after uni.

The degree in MPharm should also allow you to go into financial advisory if you did an appropriate qualification as listed in my previous responses afterwards.
Reply 9
Can I be both???

Original post by MindMax2000
Well, I did remember responding to a couple of your questions before.

Other than financial advice and pharmacy, I forgot what else that you were thinking of doing (I remember that it's one of the professions where you don't need a degree in order to get into it though, just a specific professional qualification).

From your selection of jobs, pharmacy is the only one that I know of that specifically needs a degree. You can go into the other professions with either no degree or a degree in any subject. As pharmacy is the limiting factor, I would focus on doing the MPharm until you firmly decide by the end of the degree what you want to do.

To do MPharm degrees, you would typically need A Level Chemistry + 2 A Levels in any other subjects (one preferably being biology, but I don't thinks it's strictly required from memory).

I think my family friend go into financial advisory through grad application i.e. she applied for grad roles right after uni.

The degree in MPharm should also allow you to go into financial advisory if you did an appropriate qualification as listed in my previous responses afterwards.
Reply 10
Btw if I don’t like pharmacy and find it repetitive and boring I might aswell do financial advising btw what a levels do I need chem and bio and a third subject which should it be psychology or economics and also what degree apprenticeships do you think is the best and can you give me step by step on becoming financial advisor and if go uni what’s the best uni degree to study???

Original post by MindMax2000
If you're only interested in going into financial advisory, then it's usually recommended that you go for degree apprenticeships with big name employers. What they would often do is to get you to do one of the entry levl professional qualifications mentioned above; the more important thing is to get a job that you can keep for a long while.

It's not absolutely mandatory that you do a degree apprenticeship e.g. you can go into a financial advisory firm and then study for one of the above professional qualifications after your A Levels or degree (A Levels and degree in any subject). However, doing a degree apprenticeship would allow you to get the experience and the reputation of the firm on your CV.

If you want to do a random degree then later go into financial advisory, then you can generally go into a degree in any subject so long you have enough connections and a good enough network to move into the role. In these cases, it helps that you graduate from a top uni where there is a good alumni network, but this is not necessary if you have a good network.
Contrary to popular belief, a degree in finance or something quantitative isn't going to help distinguish you from the competition. nor are the degrees necessary to get into financial advisory. For example, I know of a family friend who did a degree in media from a mid-tier uni and later got into financial advisory in the City through her connections.
If you want to do an MPharm degree as a back up, you can do so and still get into financial advisory.

Do note: financial advisory is a sales oriented role i.e. you have sales targets and you would be talking nonstop. Whilst there are professional elements i.e. you need to adhere to specific regulations and fill in necessary paperwork, it's still a front office role. If you're not a sales person, you might struggle to get into this role.
Original post by aryc_30
Can I be both???

How do you mean? You become a financial advisor on part time hours whilst you work as a pharmacist on the weekends? I very much doubt your employers would be very happy about that - they're both considered very competitive jobs and employers expect you to be working full time. Legally, it's possible if you have the relevant qualifications, in practice very unlikely though.

If you mean whether you can switch careers later on, definitely. As previously mentioned, you need the relevant qualifications in order to get into the roles. In terms of the law, this is the limit of it. In terms of employment, employers would inevitably favour candidates with long job histories and relevant experiences. If they see gaps in your employment history (and you will inevitably if you only list your relevant work experience), they will ask questions.

If you're asking whether you can set up a pharmacy and then a business in financial advisory, yes. It's possible, but considering their very different natures and the amount of responsibility that you would have, it's probably not necessarily a good idea to have both of them running at the same time.
Reply 12
What degree apprenticeship would you recommend if be a financial advisor???

Original post by MindMax2000
If you're only interested in going into financial advisory, then it's usually recommended that you go for degree apprenticeships with big name employers. What they would often do is to get you to do one of the entry levl professional qualifications mentioned above; the more important thing is to get a job that you can keep for a long while.

It's not absolutely mandatory that you do a degree apprenticeship e.g. you can go into a financial advisory firm and then study for one of the above professional qualifications after your A Levels or degree (A Levels and degree in any subject). However, doing a degree apprenticeship would allow you to get the experience and the reputation of the firm on your CV.

If you want to do a random degree then later go into financial advisory, then you can generally go into a degree in any subject so long you have enough connections and a good enough network to move into the role. In these cases, it helps that you graduate from a top uni where there is a good alumni network, but this is not necessary if you have a good network.
Contrary to popular belief, a degree in finance or something quantitative isn't going to help distinguish you from the competition. nor are the degrees necessary to get into financial advisory. For example, I know of a family friend who did a degree in media from a mid-tier uni and later got into financial advisory in the City through her connections.
If you want to do an MPharm degree as a back up, you can do so and still get into financial advisory.

Do note: financial advisory is a sales oriented role i.e. you have sales targets and you would be talking nonstop. Whilst there are professional elements i.e. you need to adhere to specific regulations and fill in necessary paperwork, it's still a front office role. If you're not a sales person, you might struggle to get into this role.
Original post by aryc_30
What degree apprenticeship would you recommend if be a financial advisor???


They are typically referred to as financial degree apprenticeshps/ finance degree apprenticeships. More often than not, it's usually something related financial services.

The key thing I would note is the qualification that you get after the apprenticeship. If it's not the right qualification, then you're likely looking at an accounting apprenticeship, which isn't what you want based on the above.

I am not entirely sure on the situation with student finance, but if you do a bachelor's degree/level 6 qualication, you would likely need to pay for your next bachelor's degree i.e. I think there is a chance that if you did a degree apprenticeship, you would need to fund your MPharm by yourself. However, you should check this with the SFE just to be sure.

If I want to keep doors open for both lines of work, I would do the MPharm degree before considering doing the financial advisory qualification.
(edited 1 year ago)
Reply 14
Yeah but I am not interested in pharmacy anymore feel boring and repetitive unlike financial advising which think is for me in this case what should be my next step after college what would you do if you were in my position give step by step thanks???

Original post by MindMax2000
They are typically referred to as financial degree apprenticeshps/ finance degree apprenticeships. More often than not, it's usually something related financial services.

The key thing I would note is the qualification that you get after the apprenticeship. If it's not the right qualification, then you're likely looking at an accounting apprenticeship, which isn't what you want based on the above.

I am not entirely sure on the situation with student finance, but if you do a bachelor's degree/level 6 qualication, you would likely need to pay for your next bachelor's degree i.e. I think there is a chance that if you did a degree apprenticeship, you would need to fund your MPharm by yourself. However, you should check this with the SFE just to be sure.

If I want to keep doors open for both lines of work, I would do the MPharm degree before considering doing the financial advisory qualification.
Original post by aryc_30
Yeah but I am not interested in pharmacy anymore feel boring and repetitive unlike financial advising which think is for me in this case what should be my next step after college what would you do if you were in my position give step by step thanks???


I would apply for work at a financial advisory firm. Where possible, I would go for the big banks in the City. However, you are fine if you just go and apply to your local financial advisors if they take on trainees (ideally look for the medium sized firms, since they are more readily able to take on trainees than say the small one man bands self employed financial advisors).

Whilst you don't strictly need qualifications to go and do the professional qualification, I would at least finish your A Levels on a high note so it would look good to your employers.

If they take you on, they would likely require you to study for one of the financial advisory qualifications at level 4 with the following bodies: CISI, CII, or LIBF. I would go for the qualification that the employer is willing to train you under as opposed to go out of your own way and study the qualificaiton by yourself.
The only times when I would study the qualifications by myself is if I don't intend to work in financial advisory and just to do the qualification on the side, or I didn't get first pick of the trainee roles so I did the qualification myself to strengthen the application.

The Level 4 qualification isn't particularly long; a lot of graduates manage to do it over the summer break. You likewise would be able to do it in the same timeframe if you study intensively.

What was the other career that you were open to looking into other than pharmacy and financial advisory?
Reply 16
Mindmax btw do you have like instagram so I can message you and you can explain briefly darling is that ok and also after finish college what should I apply for and what a levels do you recommend me picking etc need your social media to explain???

Original post by MindMax2000
I would apply for work at a financial advisory firm. Where possible, I would go for the big banks in the City. However, you are fine if you just go and apply to your local financial advisors if they take on trainees (ideally look for the medium sized firms, since they are more readily able to take on trainees than say the small one man bands self employed financial advisors).

Whilst you don't strictly need qualifications to go and do the professional qualification, I would at least finish your A Levels on a high note so it would look good to your employers.

If they take you on, they would likely require you to study for one of the financial advisory qualifications at level 4 with the following bodies: CISI, CII, or LIBF. I would go for the qualification that the employer is willing to train you under as opposed to go out of your own way and study the qualificaiton by yourself.
The only times when I would study the qualifications by myself is if I don't intend to work in financial advisory and just to do the qualification on the side, or I didn't get first pick of the trainee roles so I did the qualification myself to strengthen the application.

The Level 4 qualification isn't particularly long; a lot of graduates manage to do it over the summer break. You likewise would be able to do it in the same timeframe if you study intensively.

What was the other career that you were open to looking into other than pharmacy and financial advisory?
Reply 17
Oh it was accounting found it too repetitive and boring when researched and think it wasn’t for me and software engineering too much coding not for me

Original post by MindMax2000
I would apply for work at a financial advisory firm. Where possible, I would go for the big banks in the City. However, you are fine if you just go and apply to your local financial advisors if they take on trainees (ideally look for the medium sized firms, since they are more readily able to take on trainees than say the small one man bands self employed financial advisors).

Whilst you don't strictly need qualifications to go and do the professional qualification, I would at least finish your A Levels on a high note so it would look good to your employers.

If they take you on, they would likely require you to study for one of the financial advisory qualifications at level 4 with the following bodies: CISI, CII, or LIBF. I would go for the qualification that the employer is willing to train you under as opposed to go out of your own way and study the qualificaiton by yourself.
The only times when I would study the qualifications by myself is if I don't intend to work in financial advisory and just to do the qualification on the side, or I didn't get first pick of the trainee roles so I did the qualification myself to strengthen the application.

The Level 4 qualification isn't particularly long; a lot of graduates manage to do it over the summer break. You likewise would be able to do it in the same timeframe if you study intensively.

What was the other career that you were open to looking into other than pharmacy and financial advisory?
Reply 18
Btw could I be both?

Original post by MindMax2000
I would apply for work at a financial advisory firm. Where possible, I would go for the big banks in the City. However, you are fine if you just go and apply to your local financial advisors if they take on trainees (ideally look for the medium sized firms, since they are more readily able to take on trainees than say the small one man bands self employed financial advisors).

Whilst you don't strictly need qualifications to go and do the professional qualification, I would at least finish your A Levels on a high note so it would look good to your employers.

If they take you on, they would likely require you to study for one of the financial advisory qualifications at level 4 with the following bodies: CISI, CII, or LIBF. I would go for the qualification that the employer is willing to train you under as opposed to go out of your own way and study the qualificaiton by yourself.
The only times when I would study the qualifications by myself is if I don't intend to work in financial advisory and just to do the qualification on the side, or I didn't get first pick of the trainee roles so I did the qualification myself to strengthen the application.

The Level 4 qualification isn't particularly long; a lot of graduates manage to do it over the summer break. You likewise would be able to do it in the same timeframe if you study intensively.

What was the other career that you were open to looking into other than pharmacy and financial advisory?
Reply 19
Btw if I go uni which degree is the best benefit for someone who wants to go forward as an financial advisor either financial services business management or accountancy and which a levels do I have to pick I don’t really like maths that’s the the thing but won’t mind like economics etc???

Original post by MindMax2000
I would apply for work at a financial advisory firm. Where possible, I would go for the big banks in the City. However, you are fine if you just go and apply to your local financial advisors if they take on trainees (ideally look for the medium sized firms, since they are more readily able to take on trainees than say the small one man bands self employed financial advisors).

Whilst you don't strictly need qualifications to go and do the professional qualification, I would at least finish your A Levels on a high note so it would look good to your employers.

If they take you on, they would likely require you to study for one of the financial advisory qualifications at level 4 with the following bodies: CISI, CII, or LIBF. I would go for the qualification that the employer is willing to train you under as opposed to go out of your own way and study the qualificaiton by yourself.
The only times when I would study the qualifications by myself is if I don't intend to work in financial advisory and just to do the qualification on the side, or I didn't get first pick of the trainee roles so I did the qualification myself to strengthen the application.

The Level 4 qualification isn't particularly long; a lot of graduates manage to do it over the summer break. You likewise would be able to do it in the same timeframe if you study intensively.

What was the other career that you were open to looking into other than pharmacy and financial advisory?

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