Getting Started in Finance

Learning finance is indeed daunting and it takes courage to get started. Many questions come to mind before one embarks on this life changing journey and I am here to give some guidance. One of my favorite professors, Zimbabwe's former deputy prime minister, professor Auther Mutambara always says:

"A poor plan that is executed is much better than a perfect plan that is never executed".

When I started on my data science journey and I was researching on which language to begin with, either R or Python, one youtuber said if you are here now, researching on this topic, chances are you will eventually learn both so just toss a coin and get on with it. Why am I saying all this? Yes, we plan, we research, but eventually we have to act sooner rather than later. Where do we even start to learn about finance and investments? Here are some suggestions:

The Traditional Way

As an academic, the first thing that comes to mind is learning the traditional way. Enroll into an academic institution, be it for a certificate, a diploma, or a degree. This should get you going! The good thing about traditional institutions is that they give you a proper structure and the set deadlines will push you to work hard and deliver on what is expected of you within specific timeframes. There is a countless number of institutions you can enroll with and programs like finance, economics, investments, statistics etc., should really set a good foundation for you in finance. One of the major downsides to this way of learning is the cost. Traditional education is very expensive, at times you are expected to attend class on campus or relocate, something not many people can afford to do, and this then brings me to the next two options which are cost effective.

Online Platforms and Institutions

There are a variety of online platforms that offer top class education at very minimal cost. Platforms such as edX have some of the world's finest traditional institutions partnering with them. One course that can get you started is Foundations of Finance offered by the University of Cambridge on the edX platform at reasonable cost. Should you not be able to afford the full cost of the program, edX is very generous with scholarships to the under privileged, you apply for financial aid, and they give you a discount, up to 90%. I am currently enrolled for a data science Micromasters program with MIT, an institution that would ordinarily be out of reach for most people. The first course I did edX in data science is given by Harvard University, a professional certificate in data science, another highly ranked traditional institution with top academics. I am sure they are a lot more platforms one can learn from, and I have just mentioned one platform I am quite familiar with. There are also a lot of institutions that offer online course so I would encourage you to do a bit of research as well to find what works best for you.

Self-Education

Another way to get started is to self-learn. Learning has become very cheap and with the internet they are so many platforms that assist with getting skills that were out of reach for others in the past. All you need is a desire to learn and you can get going. I have upskilled a lot using Udemy, and it really is a great platform to learn. Udemy is cost effective, and I will be honest, I find it to have outstanding instructors. I believe that stems from the fact that to get more learners instructors need to have high ratings and hence they put time and effort into creating their courses. Check it out! Udemy is very cheap but they are also platforms like YouTube that are completely free, all you need is a good internet connection and you are good to go. Videos on both Udemy and YouTube can be saved and watched at a later day or time when you do not have access to the internet, either you would have travelled to a remote area or you have loadshedding, something we are currently struggling with in South Africa. Please do subscribe to my YouTube channel in the meantime, @mashfintech.

I am currently enrolled for the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program, a well-respected program in finance and investments. This is a story for another day.