A day in this work
You study companies and markets and recommend where money should go, for banks, funds, startups or large firms.
Ways in
- B.Com (Hons), BA Economics or BBA (3 to 4 years)
- MBA in finance, or the CFA programme alongside work
- Integrated programmes in management after Class 12 at some IIMs
After Class 10
Commerce or Science with Maths (PCM) or Any stream
Entrance exams to know
- CUET-UG
- IPMAT (IIM Indore and Rohtak)
- JIPMAT
- CAT (for MBA)
Years, cost and pay
- Years of study
- 3 to 5
- Whole-course cost, government or aided
- under ₹2 lakh
- Whole-course cost, private
- ₹8 to 25 lakh
- Typical starting pay
- ₹6 to 12 lakh a year
Indicative bands from the pilot dataset (0.1 (pilot), 19 September 2026). Real fees and pay vary a lot by college, city and year. Check the official sites below.
No college, coaching institute, lender or study-abroad agent pays to appear on these pages. Pathways takes no money from them.
Outlook, and how AI is changing this work
Outlook: Steady. AI is changing much of the daily work.
AI does the number-crunching. Analysts who ask better questions and explain clearly keep their edge.
Try this week
Pick two listed companies you know as a customer and compare their last annual results in plain words.
Check the facts yourself
These are official sites. Exam names, dates, fees and rules change every year, so confirm them there. Each link opens in a new tab.
Careers close to this one
See how well this fits you
Discovery in the app takes about eight minutes and gives each of these 52 careers a fit score from your own answers. It is free during the pilot, and nobody is asked for an email address or a phone number. Students under 18 need a parent or guardian to agree first, and children under 13 cannot join yet.