Everyone wants to be a millionaire! Try a game show. Win a lottery. Make a killing in the stock market. Discover a product that the whole world needs. Develop an easier and better way to do anything. Of course, you could always work hard, save your money, invest wisely, spend prudently and still wind up with money and have a good life.

You are probably not too concerned about all of this in high school, but you should be. Money, or the lack of it, will become an important part of your life - starting right now as you contemplate what you want to do for the rest of your life. From your very first job until your retirement, money, or the lack of it, will determine what kind of a life you will lead. How you will provide for yourself and maybe a family.

Money, or the lack of it, follows our every pursuit. We love our possessions and do not hesitate to flash our credit cards to charge them. And then the monthly bill - the reality - that we have to come up with the money to pay for all those purchases. We stretch our budgets to the max. We extend our credit, take out loans, refinance our homes, and hope that we can keep our heads above water. We ask our financial institutions to be our partner in money matters as we try not to overextend our limits and maintain good credit ratings.

Banking and finance fields are hot careers for the 21st century. Not only is retail banking an important element of our daily personal lives, but commercial banking is responding to the globalization of business and the advancement of technology. The scope of banking has widened and financial institutions now can offer an array of services from checking and savings, to stocks, bonds, insurance and more. Bank mergers and takeovers have intensified the need for a quality and qualified workforce to keep up with the fast-paced, ongoing changes in this technological age that are having an impact on banking.

This report will concentrate on the professional, managerial and clerical positions necessary to banking. Most jobs require college and training, while some can be started with a high school diploma along with a proficiency in math and computers, and training. Many paths can and do take professionals to the upper levels of banking, including executive management. Your success will depend upon your ambition, motivation, experience and ability.