Stock Broker Careers

The job outlook for stock broker careers is very good, with growth expected higher than average. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, a document provided by the U.S. Department of Labor, this career field is expanding at a rate of 25% per year and will continue at least until 2012.

The handbook states that, "The replacement of traditional pension plans with self-directed retirement accounts has led more Americans to hold stock in recent years. This change means that where companies were making investments to secure their employees' retirements in the past, individuals now save money for their own retirements. About half of American households now own stock, and the number of new investors grows daily. While these individual investors are still only a small part of the total, the nationwide interest in owning securities will greatly increase the number of brokers and investment advisors."

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Now, breaking in to the industry may not be especially easy, but if you do it and you are successful at it, you stand the chance to earn quite a bit of money.

Typically, if you want to enter this field, you need at least a college degree. You will be expected to have better than average communication skills and you will need to be self-motivated. Stock brokers work on commission mostly, although they do earn money in other ways.

If you have ever thought about pursuing a stock broker job, understand that it can be very stressful. Sometimes evening and weekend work is required as well. Depending upon the kind of position you would secure in the field, you could also find yourself doing quite a bit of travel. Businesses are international, after all.

To succeed and/or advance in stock broker careers, you will probably want to get a Master's Degree in Business Administration, Finance, Economics or International Business. Education is highly valued in this field. It may also help protect you should you encounter volatile market conditions. No field is really immune to recessions and/or depressions, and this field is no different, but the more you become a valued employee to your company, the more protected you are.

If you want to do a quick search for stock broker jobs, check this out:

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