Can you make great money in coporate finance without working in a top area?
Like if I wanted to work in Ohio and not New York or Los Angeles
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What does great money mean to you? 100k? 500k? 500M?
I'd say over 250k at the least
Baby steps, have you even graduated school or worked in a full time job before?
People actually want to work in Ohio??
All kidding aside, yes it's possible. If you're talking 250k+ though we're looking at a VP level position at a F500 or a CFO at a smaller company. Realistically this is where you could be in your 40s/50s if you have a good career.
I'll agree with the above, I think minimum you would have to be a VP (although at some hot shot companies some directors could make this all in).
It's definitely possible to make it at the Director level at F500, but more likely at the VP level. At one of my previous employers, Directors were making ~180k base with 35% target bonus + stock options. VPs were around 240k base with SVPs at 340k base, with upper level SVPs making 450k+ base. There are very few of these jobs out there however.
Hi, I'm considering working in a FMCG company (P&G, Unilever, etc) in its FLDP.
Do you have a rough approximation what are my chances to reach the Director/VP/SVP level? For example, if the company is taking in 5 FLDP graduates this year, how many of those FLDP graduates (historically and statistically speaking) could be expected to reach the Director/VP/SVP-level? Thank you.
Can't really say. A lot of people will leave for better jobs elsewhere (fldps are highly sought after), while others will hit a ceiling at the manager level. In general, the vast majority of people in corporate level never make it past manager, with a surprising amount never making it past SFA roles. For a FLDP I would in general expect your floor to be manager and your ceiling to be the very top. However, remember that the hierarchy in corporate in a pyramid. Making the jump from Manager to Director can be a hard one to make, with the jump to VP being extremely difficult. Out of the 5 of you, all or none of you could reach the Director/VP/SVP level at a F500. Trying to get a wide breadth of experience, added credentials, working your trail off, and having people that will go to bat for you are all keys to moving up.
That was really helpful - thank you. Perhaps I was overly optimistic about the progression of a FLDP, considering that they hired only 1 out of every 90 applicants.
I used to have this expectation on the progression of a FLDP (in which I now know that I must be wrong; please correct me if I am): fldps are generally above-average performers. Based on the programme, we will be a finance manager in 3-4 years (as mentioned by the HR). I would expect the average of us to be a director in 12 years, and have a decent chance (50%) of reaching VP in 25 years.
No problem! Those are some healthy averages! From what I've seen (assuming your a high-performer, is SFA in 2-4 years, Manager in 4-7, Director 12-15+. In my personal experience, I have seen one guy make Director in 10 years, and a couple in 12, but most make it later than that. VP # isn't unrealistic, but I wouldn't say 50% chance.
With the odds so small of making VP, what exactly does it take? Is this achieved by jumping companies or just performing exceptionally well at the right time? I feel like more individuals reach VP by luck/attrition than based on performance.
If partaking in a FLDP program sets manager status at the lower level, how would this compare with an MBA candidate?
Also it should be noted that the 250k figure is for base salary - you can get to 250k with base+bonus+options at the Director level.
CFA_monkey13 , making VP takes a few things, the first 3 you can learn, the last one is sort of a luck thing, though of course you can affect your luck by networking and being good at what you do.: -strong financial acumen -exceptional managerial skills -exceptional networking skills -good timing
You can get there a number of ways. It's not unusual for people to jump companies. This can definitely help if you stay within the same industry - you have the opportunity to learn the competition and different ways of exploring the financial landscape.
Performing well at the right time won't do it. You have to perform well all the time. Reaching VP is partially about luck/attrition, but it's more about making the right friends, learning how to be political, learning how to be a good manager, and of course knowing finance. So when you say it's more based on luck than performance, you're wrong. It's just that your performance is calculated differently the higher you go. That's where things like being a good manager and playing the political game come in. But yes, luck still plays a role.
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