Cole Christian is a Wealth Strategist based out of St. Louis, MO, who initially began his financial planning career pursuing an accounting degree and becoming a Certified Public Accountant. He joins the show today to share his journey into the financial planning world and how his career has pivoted from accounting to financial planning.

Listen in as Cole shares his beginning in financial planning, including the very unique internship situation he found himself in and why he chose to work for a smaller accounting firm over a large Big 4 firm. We also dive into why it’s often a good idea to try out multiple jobs before committing to one career path, how to gain confidence in your role, and where the future of the profession is headed. If you are in the accounting field and sensing that it isn’t quite the right fit for you, this is an episode you won’t want to miss!

What You'll Learn In Today's Episode:

• Why Cole initially pursued accounting with a tax focus. (2:10)
• Why he eventually switched his focus to forensics. (10:25)
• What made him pivot his career trajectory completely. (14:40)
• Whether Cole has had any pushback about having different jobs on his resumé. (19:00)
• What the compensation is like in the Advanced Solutions Planning Department at a larger firm. (27:45)

Ideas Worth Sharing:

“Teaching soft skills or learning them though osmosis is harder.” - Cole Christian Share on X “I was so ready to not do what I was doing.” - Cole Christian Share on X “If you're in your job and you’re not happy, don’t be afraid to tell someone.” - Cole Christian Share on X

Resources In Today's Episode:

• Cole Christian: LinkedIn

Download your free copy of the New Planner Career Roadmap!

In this roadmap, you'll be guided through the details of various stages of your financial planner career, including position descriptions, licensing, skill and experience level requirements, and compensation ranges.

 

 

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