💡 Why it matters: Before a company builds a factory or launches a product, someone must check whether the numbers add up. Financial analysts do that, and banks, startups and big firms all hire them.
🌍 Around the world
- United States: Jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦2.5M – ₦6M
- Mid-career
- ₦7M – ₦18M
- Senior
- ₦18M – ₦45M
≈ ₦583k – ₦1.5M a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Closest UK profile: Investment analyst. Typical starter to experienced salary. National Careers Service, 2026
🇺🇸 United States
Financial and investment analysts. Median pay; low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
🇨🇦 Canada
Financial analyst. Hourly wage low/median/high x 2,080 hours. Job Bank (Government of Canada), 2023-2024
Yearly pay before tax. UK, US and Canada figures come from the official sources named on each card. Nigeria has no official salary survey, so those are our indicative estimates. Real pay depends on the employer, the place, your skills and experience.
🛠️ What you actually do
- Build spreadsheets that predict income and costs
- Compare options like buying versus renting
- Study past results to spot trends
- Write short reports for managers
- Track budgets and flag overspending
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Maths
- Analysis
- Excel skills
- Communication
- Attention to detail
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) exams while working
- Excel and financial modelling courses with a junior analyst role
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Apprenticeships in finance or accountancy (levels 3 to 7)
- Start in a finance team and study part-time
🇺🇸 United States
- Start as a junior analyst or in a bank's operations team
- Internships during college
🇨🇦 Canada
- Co-op placements during university
- Start as a junior analyst in a bank or company finance team
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Get strong in Maths and Economics
- 2Take a finance, accounting or economics degree
- 3Learn Excel and financial modelling
- 4Start as a junior financial analyst
- 5Move into senior analyst, manager or CFO roles
⏰ A day in the life
You update a spreadsheet that predicts next quarter's sales and spot that costs are rising faster than income. You write a short note for the finance director with two ideas to fix it.