Also called: City CFO, County Finance Director, Comptroller
Oversees a city, county, or state's money: budgets, debt, investments, and accounting.
Finance directors present the budget to elected officials, decide when to borrow money through bonds, and make sure the books pass audits. When revenues fall during a recession, they figure out where to cut. The Government Finance Officers Association offers a career path.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 10 years after high school. Bachelor's in accounting or finance; CPA or MPA common.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school, Certification. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Accounting, Finance, Public Administration, Economics.
Growing about average. Financial managers in government (approx.).
Low risk for 10 years. AI builds forecasts and reports; presenting budgets to elected officials and owning the numbers stay human.
Classes: Accounting, AP Macroeconomics, AP Government.
Official data: O*NET occupation 11-3031.
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