The Inbetweener: Call me crazy, but I really wish I worked in compliance. Do I stand a chance of making the switch?

One of the main reasons I took my current job was that I was promised compliance training in the future. I have always wanted to get into that function but never had any idea how to actually make the move.

When I left university, this career option wasn't such a large part of financial services as it is today, post-GFC. Its importance wasn't as obvious back then. In my first job out of university, inexperienced as I was, my boss sent me out to do basic compliance work, indicative of the then-perception that such a chore wasn't worthy of someone more senior.

I recently have been doing some very basic tasks in compliance, which is the part of my job I enjoy most. Most of my colleagues cringe when asked to do it because it requires meticulous work, but I find compliance interesting. The experience has spurred me to do some research into job ads to see if it is a specialty I want to pursue. I'm also getting nostalgic about my first job and I'm almost questioning my whole career path now.

Is it the post-GFC environment that requires firms to grow their compliance teams? Has the number of compliance roles actually risen by much? Or is it that I have just taken more notice of these ads? You can't deny that there are many on offer. The only issue is this: it's a smorgasbord of jobs to choose from, if you have compliance experience. But how do you actually get your foot in the compliance door, particularly in financial services, if you come from a slightly different background?

My compliance dream

Most places will accept those from an audit background, but what about people with general accounting experience, with only some exposure to audit? I think I have seen maybe, at best, two entry-level roles in this area, with the vast majority requiring 18 to 24 months' experience.

And once I have obtained my basic compliance experience, which is quite broad, how can that be transmitted into financial services? Will non-financial-services compliance expertise be looked upon favourably? Or will it be seen as an "extra limb" causing more problems than benefits?

If you work in compliance, how did you get your foot in the door and what studies were needed to get you there? When making the move, what are the transferable skills? I know of people who went from an operations background, but aren't negotiation skills also required, which means sales experience is also a positive attribute?

Have you ever made the move into compliance and how did it go? Are you a compliance professional who started at the bottom and was it the path you always wanted to take? Let me know below.