Loan Officers and Counselors

Except for high school courses that are business oriented, you will find few opportunities for experience and exploration during high school. Ask your teacher or counselor to arrange a class tour of a financial institution. This will at least give you a taste of how banking services work. Participate in information interviews with loan officers and counselors. In such an interview—which can be conducted in-person, on the phone, or through video-conferencing technology—you will get the opportunity to ask loan officers and counselors about their job duties, work environment, likes and dislikes about their careers, educational training, and other topics that will help you to learn more about the field. Ask your school counselor or a teacher to help you set up information interviews.

You can gain the most valuable experience by finding a part-time or a summer job in a bank or other institution that sometimes hires qualified high school or college students. Finally, to gain some hands-on experience with managing money, consider joining a school or local club in which you could work as the treasurer.