Fintech First Impressions

No one ever truly knows what to expect from their first job out of college. Going to school for Hospitality Management, all of my jobs up until now have been hospitality based. But as anyone in the Hospitality industry knows; plans change.

I applied for my job at Final to be their new Office Manager and work in Customer Success because the possibilities of working for a new company excited me. Not just the once in a lifetime opportunity of working for a thriving startup, but what this could also mean for my career! I began to look into Final to prepare for what was to come and it quickly dawned on me that I did not know what financial tech (fintech) was.

After being at Final for almost 2 months I can happily report that I now understand what a Fintech company is and does, but it’s been an interesting road with a steep learning curve. In this post I will share what’s been difficult, what I’ve learned, and what I’ve enjoyed since starting at a fintech company while knowing next-to-nothing about fintech.

Let’s be honest for a second here, learning about credit cards is hard, plain and simple. They aren’t really that exciting for the amount of information you have to read to understand them. Not only are credit cards painstaking, everything at Final is done online (hence fintech). My first week of work was overwhelming to say the least. I could not believe what I had gotten myself into. I knew zilch about the industry. I didn’t even have a credit card of my own! There are how many FICO scores? What’s APR again, a life-saving procedure? My co-workers were using terms that I couldn’t even begin to comprehend. Applicants and cardholders had the same exact questions about fintech that I did! I felt like I was back in school studying again, though this time I definitely wasn’t in Wedding Planning 101. With the help of my personal bible, Paying With Plastic, and the genuinely helpful and caring people here at Final I was fortunate to have started my fintech career here. Everyone is eager to answer my questions and will explain in-depth so I can use my newly gained knowledge to help our card holders. I now understand credit card lingo (or at least Finals), and I feel assured when answering questions, and am confident in the work I do at a fintech company.

Final has taught me the ways of credit cards and fintech, I’ve learned more than I ever thought I would need to know about credit cards. Truthfully, It’s been a lot, but I am nothing but excited to learn more! Understanding credit is vital, especially for millennials like me. I’m honestly embarrassed I did not care to be more informed about it before. The list of things I’ve learned since being here can go on for miles; history of credit cards, fraud, credit bureaus, compliance in credit cards, security, what we can (and can’t) post on instagram as a credit card company. I’m learning new things everyday!

Working for a fintech company is different from working anywhere else. This is such a different industry with all new questions and concerns being formulated constantly. There is nothing cookie cutter about it, especially when you’re leading the pack in credit card innovation. Some love the idea, others it frightens, but most people understand that fintech is here to stay and will only become a bigger part of our lives as the time goes on.

I enjoy my job here at Final. I not only get to utilize my extensive hospitality expertise, but I get to work in a great environment filled with even better co-workers. We all work close to one another, literally, so it’s exciting when something big happens in the office (like going live on Apple Pay!). It’s truly a community here and we all get the chance to contribute in our own unique way. Being able to celebrate large or small triumphs together is extremely rewarding, especially being involved so early in Final’s life.

Here at Final, our team is working extra-hard to ensure that Final is the credit card everyone wants. I love being a part of it!