Orange County, CA Finance Careers, Jobs, & Salaries

Finance careers in Orange County, CA come in a variety of forms, from accounting positions in a small business, to serving as the CFO of a major international corporation. With a degree in finance, the range of opportunities you can pursue is practically limitless.

Orange County is the headquarters of many Fortune 500 companies including Ingram Micro and First American Corporation in Santa Ana, Western Digital in Lake Forest, and Pacific Life in Newport Beach. Many regional headquarters for international businesses also reside in Orange County such as Mazda, Toshiba, Toyota, Samsung, Kia Motors, in the City of Irvine, Mitsubishi in the City of Cypress, and Hyundai in the City of Fountain Valley.

The number of companies headquartered in Orange County, and particularly Irvine, mean banking and financial firms are needed to provide loans, credit, payment services, and related products like insurance, financial analysis, and auditing. More firms equal more opportunities for students with degrees in finance.

Employment & Training

The general areas of finance are business finance, personal finance, and public finance.

When making a decision on which specific degree program to pursue, prospective students must first consider their desired specialty. Employers look for candidates with knowledge and skills in several areas including: financial risk management, ownership equity, fund management, investment management, accounting, behavioral finance, and more.

In today's competitive market, it is important to seek out a program that fosters the development of each of these areas. Many schools in Orange County offer internship opportunities for students to gain relevant work experience.

Careers

Financial managers direct bank branches and departments, resolve customers' problems, ensure that standards of service are maintained, and administer the institutions' operations and investments.

Financial analysts, also known as investment analysts or securities analysts, assess the financial performance of a company or industry and make recommendations to investors to help them decide where and how much to invest. Financial analysts work for investment banks, insurance companies, mutual and pension funds, securities firms, the business media, and other businesses.

Trust officers manage a variety of assets that were placed in trust with the bank for other people or organizations; these assets can include pension funds, school endowments, or a company's profit-sharing plan. Sometimes, trust officers act as executors of estates upon a person's death. They also may work as accountants, lawyers, and investment managers.

Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents, who make up the majority of sales positions in banks, sell banking and investing services. They contact potential customers to explain their services and determine the customer's banking and other financial needs. They also may discuss services, such as deposit accounts, lines of credit, sales or inventory financing, certificates of deposit, cash management, stock investments, or investment services. These sales agents also solicit businesses to participate in consumer credit card programs. At most small and medium-size banks, however, branch managers and commercial loan officers are responsible for marketing the bank's financial services. This has become a more important task in recent years.

Accountants, auditors, lawyers, and computer specialists are also common jobs in finance.

Top Finance & Business Schools in Orange County, CA

Just beginning your education search? Visit the schools below to receive free information on tuition, financial aid assistance, start dates and more!

• DeVry University
  Accounting Technology, Business Administration
• Keller Graduate School of Management
  Business Administration, Accounting and Financial Management, Educational Management, Electronic Commerce Management, Entrepreneurship, Financial Analysis, Health Services Management, Human Resource Management, Information Security, Information Systems Management, MBA Program, Network and Communications Management, Project Management, Public Administration, Wireless Communications
• Argosy University - Orange County
  Business Administration, Management, MBA Program, DBA Program
• ITT Technical Institute - Anaheim Campus
  Business Administration, Project Management
• United Education Institute
  Business Office Administration
• Westwood College
  Accounting, Business Administration, E-Business, Marketing/Sales, Fashion Merchandising

For more information on careers in finance in Orange County, CA visit Monster.com.