Here are some of the things that you can do with your new degree:

1. Teach at a college: Now that you have a Master's degree, you can begin applying for adjunct positions at local colleges and universities, especially in areas where you have great experience. Of course, these institutions prefer someone with experience, so find as many opportunities to speak, deliver workshops or panels, or mentor as possible. If you have a hobby (such as cooking, dancing, or tattooing), you could teach a community education class.

2. Contact your alumni network: One of the biggest benefits to an MBA program is getting to know your cohort. Hopefully, you've developed relationships with classmates along the way. Continue building those relationships through your school's alumni network so you can learn about career and Business opportunities.

3. Apply for conferences: The biggest requirement to presenting at any conference is a great idea. Learn how to develop a pitch for your ideas/lessons, then work on your presentation skills (try joining Toastmasters). Create an account at ExpertFile. Update your Linkedin. Look for industry gatherings in your area and contact them about speaking. It's great for your resume and it expands your network.

4. Learn more skills: Now that you've received some broad business training with your degree, you can refine it by developing new skills. Try taking courses through a MOOC or community college. With so many inexpensive and flexible programs, time and affordability are no longer valid excuses.

5. Explore career options: Now that you have a new degree, see if you have opportunities to advance in your organization. If you feel limited there, you might consider looking at available jobs - after you've updated your resume, of course.

6. Start a business or nonprofit: If you are passionate about a cause or a hobby, you might consider applying that business knowledge to create a sustainable career option for yourself. Talk to instructors or classmates that you're still in touch with; they can help refine your idea or maybe even know some possible investors.

7. Take time off: Graduate school is tough. You might reward yourself with a self-discovery process such as traveling. It's good to refresh and get your bearings. It might even help you refine your future goals.

8. Volunteer or join a board: One of the best ways to keep your skills up to date is simply using them. Nonprofit organizations are always looking for skilled volunteers and board members. They can also be a great place to network while helping a cause that you value. If you're unsure where to volunteer your time, try using a site like Volunteermatch or contact the foundation of your alma mater.

9. Travel abroad: Consider working or volunteering for an organization abroad. It can be a fantastic way to learn about another culture, developing new skills, and creating some incredible memories.

10. Freelance work: You can take some of those specialized skills and experiences and do some freelance work as a consultant, mentor, coach, or one-off contract jobs. Not only will you get some extra income, but it's a good way to experience multiple industries, types of organizations, and working styles while honing your talent.

11. Rotary/civic organizations: Rotary International is always looking for great members, speakers, and people who want to contribute. Local chapters are often comprised of business leaders who are also passionate about solving major world issues. If you Rotary doesn't appeal to you, there are many other member-driven civic organizations to join and get involved in.

Graduate school is a large investment of your time and money. If you really want to get the most out of it, you should be exploring all possible options and not just waiting for opportunities to come to you. Use the same kind of resourcefulness and dedication that you applied for your capstone project or thesis. In MBA programs, we're trained to turn around businesses, look for new opportunities, increase brand visibility, and create stable sources of funding.

Sometimes, the best approach is to treat you like a brand/business. If your career was a business, how would you create opportunities? Begin today -- that way, you can begin paying down those student loans!

I have broadly divided the courses into the following sections:

Probably the most obvious choice for anybody who wishes to make a career in Financial services is to do an MBA in finance.

The advantage that an MBA has over any other format is that it allows you a good all round exposure to various aspects of finance, whether it’s accounting, cost accounting, financial modeling, statistics and so on.

Additionally if you choose your minors well, you can have exposure to fields like marketing, behavioral science, human resources, etc. Thus giving you the best possible chance for growth in the financial services industry.

However, be warned, that a lot of your ability to jumpstart may be dependent on a combination of economic factors, the strength of your placement cell, your alumni and also your independent ability to network.

If you wish to be on the global stage, then do remember that MBAs from Harvard, Stanford, and INSEAD have to do their bit of hunting as well. Even the hallowed IIMs do not officially guarantee you a placement.

The Statutory courses are the ones that have been created by acts of parliament and hence create binding obligations under certain circumstances. Under statutory courses, we can include the following

Probably the most well-known statutory course, this course was created as a result of the enactment of the Chartered Accountants Act in 1949.

The course involves a combination of theory and more importantly practical training which run synchronously to provide a student with the necessary wherewithal required of a professional accountant.

A good grounding in this profession creates opportunities few courses can match.

Chartered Accountancy allows you to have rewarding careers in consultancy, audit practice, investment banking, and information technology to name a few.

The profession allows you probably the best chance in finance to create a location independent career. You can find successful chartered accountants in many small towns where a lot many other professions may not flourish.

The chartered accountancy course also opens the doors for an international career. An Indian CA after clearing certain local papers can easily practice in countries like the United Kingdom and Australia to name a few. Additionally, with the increasing introduction of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) if you become a chartered accountant then the world is your oyster.

This course came into being as a result of the Cost and Works Accountants Act, 1959. The act regulates the profession of cost and management accountancy.

A Cost and Management Accountant (CMA) is a person who performs services which involve accounting for cost of manufacturing an item, pricing the goods and services produced verification or certification of taxation, especially with respect to indirect taxation.

Unlike pure accounting professionals say, chartered accountants, the demand for a cost accountant is a cross-organization phenomenon. The marketing department needs you in preparing quotations for tender responses; the production department needs you to make better decisions on a profitable product mix, the purchase department wouldn’t move without the cost accountants advice for taking the make or buy decisions and in top management you play a critical role in identifying business risks and their mitigation.

To use a cricket analogy, you would be the all-rounder in the team.

The course was a result of the Company Secretaries Act 1980.

The Company Secretary is primarily the mediator between the management and the organization’s board of directors.

Company secretaries are involved in creating policies for the company, maintaining legal records, taking care of public issues, managing mergers and acquisitions related activities. Additionally they liaise as agents of the company while negotiating with a number of government authorities.

A Company Secretary has a definite chance of being employed by management consulting firms, banks, corporates and regulatory bodies besides having an option to practice independently.

You as a company secretary are also a sought after professional for positions abroad with multi-national companies. There is a burgeoning demand for Company Secretaries in the UK, the USA, and many other countries in the western world.

With the appropriate set of knowledge and skills, you as a company secretary can look forward to a rewarding career.

If you are an actuary, then your job would be to assess the financial impact of risk and uncertainty.

Actuaries assess the financial security systems, keeping a hawk’s eye on their complexity, the mathematics involved in the same and their mechanisms.

Actuaries try to use mathematics to evaluate the probability of events and minimize the impacts of financial losses associated with an event that is not only uncertain but is undesirable.

Many events like death cannot be avoided, however as an Actuary your job is to do the needful to minimize their financial impact if as and when they occur. These risks have the possibility of impacting both sides of the balance sheet. Thus, you would be required to have the requisite skills in asset management, liability management, and valuation skills.

An actuary is expected to have the analytical skills, business knowledge and understanding of human behavior that is required to design and manage programs that assess and control risk. If you are an actuary, then you would be most likely employed in the Insurance industry but also in corporate houses like Reliance, which issues 100 year or perpetual bonds. The profession is governed by the Actuaries Act of 2006.

Read this detailed post on Actuary Career.

Specialized courses are the ones where a certain skill set is developed for an industry

The Chartered Financial Analyst degree is one of the toughest to crack but probably one of the most rewarding certifications to have.

In fact in the financial services world, the CFA charter holder is one of the few courses that give an MBA-Finance a serious run for money.

If you are a CFA charter holder, then you are one of the most valued people in any organization. You are looked up to for your insights backed by analytical inputs.

This certification is highly useful if you want to make a career inequity research, investment banking or fund management.

However, if you choose to pursue this course there is one piece of advice: Start early

If you wish to make a career out of wealth management then being a CFP is almost a must have.

This course gives you in-depth training in various aspects of personal finance like tax planning, insurance planning, estate planning, etc.

You can consider the certified financial planner to be like the general practitioner MBBS.

You as a CFP are the best bet that people have in managing their growing wealth.

You as a CFP would be sought after in banks, wealth managementcompanies, insurance companies, mutual fund and other financial intermediaries.

In India, there is a dearth of good financial planners. As per some market estimates, India needs close to 50,000 financial planners, and not even 10% has been met.

The CFP certification is valid in 23 countries in the world including Australia, UK, etc. Financial Planning Standards Board (FPSB) India is the authorized regulatory body for this course in India.

Yes, that economics degree is also a good bet for making a career in financial services. After all, it’s the economists who create all the policies that determine whether the country grows or flounders.

Economists are valued in the financial services industry for predicting an impact of policies that may affect business performance and make informed decisions about how policies would move and how the business should react to the changing policies.

If you chose to become an economist then the financial services world would look to you just like many people look to astrologers, i.e. to understand complex inputs and give guidance on how to use the available resources for creating valuable outputs.

Thus give serious thought to that offer from LSE or near home theDelhi School of Economics.

A statistician handles the collection, assessment, explanation and presentation of quantitative data.

You as a statistician provide insights, commendations, and advice on policy and strategy to clients within and outside your organization.

You as a statistician, handle monitoring data collection and using modeling techniques, both mathematical and statistical. You would also be expected to present your findings along with providing strategic advice on how best to use the results.

Thus do give an honest shot at clearing the M Stats exam at theIndian Statistical Institute.

The CAIA Charter is the globally recognized credential for professionals managing, analyzing, distributing, or regulating alternative investments.

The CAIA Charter designation is the highest standard of achievement in alternative investment education and provides broad knowledge, demonstrated expertise, and global credibility in alternatives.

Since 2008, the element of risk management has come to the fore like anything.

If you were to choose to become a Financial Risk Manager, then you would be expected to manage the risk that accompanies any investments and would like to broaden their knowledge of the same.

This course is suitable for people seeking employment in risk management in banks, corporates, non-banking financial firms and corporate houses.

This course helps people in their early stages by exposing them to the breadth of the curriculum covering major strategic aspects of risk management;on the other hand the course helps established professional keep up with the latest trends.

Financial Modeling skills are a must for equity research andinvestment banking careers.

If you want to make a career in financial research, equity research, investment banking, and other core finance areas, then having MBA or CFA degrees alone won’t help.

You need to learn skills that are required to do the actual work on the job.

You can learn the skills by online or classroom programs.

As per my experience and interaction with students, Indian students prefer classroom programs.

1) Executive MBA- EMBA is a good option after MBA; it is 1 year duration correspondence course. After EMBA, aspirants can get good job opportunities in big companies in India and abroad.

2) Doctor Of Business (DBA)-It is a 1 year/full time or 2 years Weekend Program. It is a degree equivalent to Ph.D in Business Administration

3) Fellow Programme in Management (FPM) - It is the doctoral programme of Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB). Candidates must have Any Master Degree+55% marks for this course.

4) Ph.D (Banking technology) - This is a 2 years course duration course. Applicants must possess Masters Degree in any Engineering/Technology to appear for Ph.D (Banking technology) course.

5) Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Management- Duration of this course is 2 years to 5 years. There is no age bar for applying.  MPhil Degree and a Post-Graduate Degree in a relevant discipline with minimum 55 per cent marks or an equivalent grade holder applicant can apply for the course.

6) Post Graduate Diploma in Computer applications-PGDCA is a course for those candidates who are interested in computer applications. Aspirants will get a sound accepting of basic computer applications in business covering key programming languages, and many more.

7) English Speaking, Tally and personality development course- These all courses are the good option after MBA. This will help candidates to move ahead with great qualities and they can present themselves with a good personality.

8) Diploma in Financial Management- Diploma in Financial Management is one year duration diploma course.  Any student pursuing graduations from a recognized university/institution are eligible to apply for the course

9) SAP course- SAP is highly paid certification program. There is no specific time duration for this course. Graduate in Engineering, B.Com, B.Sc, MCA or have completed any Masters Degree holder are eligible to apply for the course.

10) Bachelor in Legislative Law: LLB is undergraduate course duration of 3 years. Graduation degree holders with minimum 40% marks are eligible to apply for the course.

11) Courses in IT (C, C++, Java, HTML, C sharp) – After MBA candidates can also make their career in IT sector.  The knowledge about C, C++, Java, HTML, C sharp will prove help full for good start in professional career.