At some point in life, most of us are faced with the dilemma on which career path to choose. For those of you that are at this crossroad in life, Compliance can be considered because it is a great path to follow.

Compliance aims to make society a better place by following the laws and regulations to ensure a safe and just society. The design of the compliance industry with its processes and procedures aims to preserve the integrity of all organizations and to prevent criminals and other corrupt actors from gaining access and preying on the innocent or vulnerable. Compliance officers within the financial arena see it as their duty to keep bad actors from exploiting the official financial/non-financial systems with their ill-gotten gains. Furthermore, this profession protects both the employer and employee.

For example, the employer protection is evident through employee screening which incorporates background checks, reference checks and possible police certificate of characters to determine the best fit for the organization. On the other hand, employee protection comes into play through governance by managing internal controls and creating a culture of impartiality.

For individuals with strong interpersonal, time management and organizational skills, a career in Compliance is a good step to take. These skills are effective within this business line as it is essential in convincing Boards to channel company resources to enhance the function and get Board buy-in. In addition, these personality traits are effective for conducting training sessions and writing and reporting performance reviews to senior management. Furthermore, investigative and audit skills are vital traits to possess for detecting compliance breaches, analyzing monitoring systems and for performing independent audit reviews.

A career in Compliance presents several job opportunities for two simple reasons; it is a necessity for most business sectors and there is a high demand for Compliance Officers within the financial job markets. This opportunity can make a difference within one’s country; it prevents countries/organizations from being blacklisted and deemed as an unsafe place to conduct business which can collapse an economy. It also assists institutions in evading penalties and sanctions which can cripple their financial flow. A Compliance Officer role will ensure guidelines are set and followed meeting the regulatory standards, and all regulatory and other forms of reporting are reviewed and submitted in a timely manner with the relevant entities to avoid fines.

All in all, we can appreciate the crucial importance of Compliance and several reasons why one should consider it as a career choice.