Switching Careers to Financial Planning: Your Step-by-Step Guide

From Beauty Therapy to Financial Advice – How I Changed My Life, and What I Learned Along the Way

Switching careers is rarely easy. Doing it later in life with kids, responsibilities, and zero industry experience? That felt almost impossible.

But here I am stepping into my first official role in financial advice. And I want to share not just my story, but the steps I took to get here. Because if you’re standing where I once stood; uncertain, overwhelmed, but curious; I want to show you that there is a path forward. It’s not perfect. It’s not fast. But it is absolutely possible.

And more than that? It’s worth it.

Step 1: Start where you are – even if that’s at rock bottom

I didn’t grow up around money. Financial literacy wasn’t something we talked about at home. I left high school with no clear direction … just the pressure to earn a living. I worked in retail and cafes before stumbling into a job at a beauty school. It wasn’t my dream, but it was a start. It gave me structure, a qualification, and a way to move forward.

Later, I competed at national and international level competitions in beauty therapy. I even won gold representing Australia at just 22 years old. The win opened doors. I moved from Cairns to Melbourne and began training the next generation of therapists. I enjoyed giving back and mentoring others, but deep down, something felt off. I was proud of what I’d achieved but I wasn’t fulfilled. Something was missing.

A few years later, after starting a family, I moved away from the city to give my children a slower, more grounded upbringing. Then life threw me a curveball: single parenthood, in a small town, with sudden pressure to provide on my own. Beauty therapy no longer worked with my reality. I needed to pivot into something more sustainable. More secure. More aligned.

Step 2: Follow your curiosity (not just your confidence)

I saw a job ad for a bank role and thought, “How can I help anyone with money when I’ve always struggled with my own?” Growing up, financial literacy wasn’t something I was exposed to. I felt ashamed of what I didn’t know. But I couldn’t shake the feeling: what if this was the beginning of something new?

So, I applied and I was honest in the interview: no finance background, but a lot of life experience, people skills, and a keen desire to learn. Thankfully, the bank manager saw potential in me that I couldn’t yet see in myself. I got the job.

That’s the thing about career change: you don’t need to be 100% confident. You just need to be curious enough to try.

Step 3: Say yes before you feel ready

Once I started in the bank, my world opened up. Suddenly I was learning the basics of finance … things I wish I’d been taught years ago. I found myself doing further research to understand products and concepts better, signing up for a bookkeeping course, and eventually applying (nervously) for a Bachelor of Commerce. When I got accepted, I was floored. Could I really do this?

It wasn’t easy. I was juggling two kids, a job, and study. I doubted myself constantly. But with each subject, each trimester, my belief grew. And more importantly, so did my options.

Step 4: Get in the room – even if you don’t feel like you belong yet

Partway through my degree, I started working as an assistant accountant. It gave me my first real taste of applying financial knowledge in the real world. My confidence around money started to grow, which made every sacrifice feel worthwhile. But it was a conversation at work that changed everything.

Our firm had a connection with a financial advice practice, and something about that world kept tugging at me. I realised what I loved most in every role I’d had was helping people; really helping them, in a way that changed lives.

So, I asked the partners of the firm the big question: “Can I intern one day a week, unpaid?” To my surprise, they said yes.

It was a challenge, making it work logistically – unpaid time, study, work, kids – but it was worth it. That internship changed everything. Sitting in on client meetings, watching the adviser build trust, educate clients and change lives; I felt something click. I knew I’d found the work I was meant to do, and it lit a fire in me.

After that internship, I got serious. I mapped out the steps needed to become a financial advisor. I wanted to immerse myself in the field, in any way I could. I joined the FAAA as a student member and started attending events alone and having to travel hundreds of kilometres just to get there. I was terrified. But I showed up anyway.

And that’s when something incredible happened.

Step 5: Discover the community you didn’t know existed

What I found shocked me: a community of professionals who welcomed me with open arms. I wasn’t even in the industry yet … just a student, with big dreams and no real foot in the door. But they encouraged me, inspired me, and treated me like I belonged.

That was the turning point.

If you’re thinking of entering this field, know this: the financial advice community wants you here. They value integrity, empathy, and a willingness to learn – not just degrees and titles. They want passionate people who care about helping others.

Step 6: Back yourself – and let others back you too

Wanting to boost my chances of finding a role in financial planning, I decided to sit the financial adviser exam ahead of time; and after weeks of preparation, I was elated to find out I’d passed. This was the confidence boost I needed to open the conversation at work, to see what future career path might be possible. To my surprise, they’d already thought about it. They saw something in me and offered me a start.

Where I am now

Now I’ve started my new role as a Professional Year candidate in financial advice. I’m proud, nervous, excited … but ready.

This role is more than a job as it’s a chance for me to change lives. I know firsthand what financial stress feels like, and I’ve seen how the right advice at the right time can make a real difference.

This is the beginning of my journey. I know there’s still so much to learn. I know it will take time to master the craft of building trust, understanding complex needs, and creating real impact. But for the first time in my life, I feel like I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.

If you’re thinking about switching careers

• You don’t need to have it all figured out.
• You will feel out of your depth at times.
• And yes, it will be hard (especially if you’re balancing work, study, and parenting like I did).

But it’s not only doable; it’s life changing.

You just need to take the first step. And then the next. And then the next.

If you’re reading this and wondering if it’s too late … it’s not.

If you’re scared to leave a familiar path … that’s normal.

If you’re doubting your ability to start something new … I’ve been there.

But I’m here now, doing something I never thought I could. All it took was a small step. A conversation. A course. A chance taken. And the courage to show up, again and again.

You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to be brave enough to begin.

This industry has room for you. It has support for you. And it needs more people who care deeply not just about money, but about people’s lives.

So, if this is tugging at you… follow it.

You never know what might be waiting on the other side.