Moving into finance from another discipline

Career changers rarely fail on ability. They fail on sequence — attempting certifications before building demonstrable output.

Months one to three: fluency. Financial statements, Excel discipline and the vocabulary of the function you are targeting.

Months four to seven: portfolio. Two projects that look like real work — a reporting pack and a model with documented assumptions.

Months eight to twelve: market entry. A CV framed around outcomes, a network activated deliberately, and interview drills against real cases.

Certifications help, but they follow evidence. Hiring managers hire the person who has already done a smaller version of the job.