But what a journey it has been so far. I enjoyed 18 years at my first company, growing into a young adult, working across various roles, and undertook professional qualifications to keep pushing forward. What cannot be overstated is the lifelong friends and inspirational mentors you encounter throughout, which has continued after I moved jobs externally.
I have had the fortune to have had the guidance and mentorship of some of the most influential industry titans of our time as well as working with Pimfa, both an honour and a privilege to have their ongoing support.
University or college is not a pre-requisite to securing a job in financial services. Passion, motivation and an appetite to learn all go a long way. For me personally, I’m hugely passionate about making a difference - helping change how the industry is perceived by the next generation, moving away from old fashioned views and language and embracing a more diverse and fairer sector that represents the clients we serve.
It’s this drive and vision that gets me out of bed every morning, as well as working with many like-minded colleagues determined to make a real difference to peoples’ lives.
There are so many great things underway already that we do not shout loudly enough about. We are seeing an increasing number of academies, which provide a point of entry for new trainees. There are additional options around apprenticeships in financial advice, paraplanning and administration, which are really under-utilised.
There are further opportunities, supported by the Chartered Insurance Institute framework, that allow for clearly defined career paths, moving from administration to paraplanning to mortgage adviser to financial adviser and even risk. Career progression is supported and encouraged should you want it and there are many paths available.
There are multiple professional bodies which support training and development, with many businesses now providing qualification funding support as an employee benefit not to mention the ongoing training and development which the sector offers to provide CPD to trainees and experienced financial advisers.
The sector recognises that encouraging young people into a career in financial advice is a challenge. The great thing about this, however, is the opportunities are absolutely out there with significant initiatives already underway that are beginning to make an impact. It is incumbent on us all to keep this going and spread our reach as wide as possible.
