In college, I had dreams of pursuing a career in finance as a high-powered broker but when I married into the Military it quickly became apparent that my professional plans would include less Wall Street and more Main Street. While preparing for an upcoming PCS in 2010, I decided to pursue my Accredited Financial Counselor®certification. At the time, it was nerve-wracking to step away from the work force and into the classroom. But I can honestly say that it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made.
Going through the process of attaining my AFC® taught me two things:
- If I wanted to have a career as a Military spouse, I was going to have to seek out non-traditional opportunities.
Before 2010, even though I majored in Finance in college, I had no clue what the acronym AFC stood for. Thankfully, a friend told me about the FINRA Foundation program that granted scholarships for Military spouses to attain their AFC certification. This certification would allow me to maintain a professional identity by providing the necessary training.
- When you find the intersection of your passion and talent, you will never “work” a day in your life.
Ever since I was a young child, I have been budgeting. Weird, I know, but I have always loved estimating expenses and projecting income. I enjoyed budgeting for our family, but once I realized that I could take this natural talent and help fellow Military families lead more secure financial lives, I was hooked!
Although a small part of me wonders what life would have been like if I pursued my Wall Street dreams, I can rest easy knowing that by sharing my financial talent with Military families I will never “work” a day in my life!
Katie Christy, AFC®
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