Consumer Financial Services

Why Financial Services?

The Financial Services program prepares you for many different careers. You can choose form accounting, banking, insurance, investing, real estate, and many others. If you want to put yourself "where the money is" and enjoy working with people or numbers, then Financial Services is where you want to be!

If you prefer to work in the city, then you would choose the Consumer Financial Services option. Here you can work in a bank as a teller, loan clerk, customer service representative or even a loan officer. Many banks are also in the insurance and investment fields, so this is also a possibility. Of course, there are also positions in the financial industry that are not in banks that would also be available.

Additional "Interest" From Financial Services

When you graduate from Financial Services you will have an Associate of Applied Science Degree (A.A.S.). You will also be prepared to take licensing exams in real estate and insurance with a minimum of extra study. Accounting majors can earn their "Certified Bookkeeper" designation. Students are also trained by the instructors and tested by the IRS so that they can prepare tax returns for the low income and elderly under the VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program.

Students in the Financial Services program are encouraged to join campus organizations, such as Phi Beta Lambda, PASO, and SkillsUSA-VICA. These are great organizations that provide leadership skills to the student and also look good on the resume!

One of the most important aspects of the program is the internship. Students take part-time or summer jobs in their field of study and get credit for it. In this way, the student gets a first hand look at the career they have chosen and also gain valuable experience to help them in obtaining a full-time job. The instructors will assist the student in finding an internship site, but the student must interview and "win" the job. This again gives the student valuable future experience.

Adding It All Up

Whether you want to be a bookkeeper, a bank loan officer or something in between, Financial Services is for you. If you are good with numbers and want to help people, then you will enjoy this program.

Recommended Background Courses

To be fully prepared for this program the student should have strong math and computer skills. Classes that are helpful would be: Accounting, Algebra, Computers, Business Law and any other Business classes.