The College Launches Pursue^SM to Help Aspiring Professionals in FinServe

KING OF PRUSSIA, PA – September 2, 2026 – The American College of Financial Services (“The College”) today announced the launch of Pursue^SM, a free career readiness microcourse designed to help aspiring and early-career financial services professionals understand the industry, evaluate their fit, and build a plan for long-term success. Enrollment opens today.

Pursue^SM is intended for any aspiring or new financial professionals, including college undergraduates and recent graduates, military transitioners, career changers, and employees who have worked in financial services for fewer than three years. The course is also designed to serve as a resource for financial services firms, colleges and universities, and community and workforce organizations seeking to strengthen their talent pipelines.

Setting Expectations for Financial Services

“Financial services offers tremendous opportunity, but too many talented people leave the profession before they ever get the chance to succeed in it,” said Lindsey Lewis, MBA, ChFC®, CFP®, program lead of Pursue^SM and managing director and chair of the American College Center for Women in Financial Services. “Pursue^SM gives aspiring professionals, and especially women and minorities – whose expectations may not align with their experiences, according to our recent Onboarding Gen Z Study – an honest, practical look at what a career in financial services really involves. With that insight, they can make an informed decision, build the right connections, and set themselves up to stay, and thrive, in this industry.”

Financial services consistently ranks as one of the most desirable career fields among graduates worldwide, but many new professionals find that the reality of the industry doesn't match their expectations. According to the CFA Institute’s “2025 Graduate Outlook Survey,” finance remains the top career field among graduates globally, and they report confidence in their career prospects, viewing the industry as stable and attractive. Yet Cerulli Associates reports that 72% of new professionals leave the industry before completing their training. The College developed Pursue^SM to help close that gap.

What Makes Up Pursue^SM?

Pursue^SM is a single-course, self-paced program that takes fewer than three hours to complete, with no prerequisites and no cost to learners to enroll. The course is designed to prepare participants for scholarship readiness and next steps, such as SIE exam preparation, while creating a sustainable pipeline into The College’s broader financial services education ecosystem. Course contents include:

Unit 1: Know the Landscape – Foundations of a Financial Services Career  

Explores how the industry is organized, including the “12 Tribes of Financial Planning” framework created by Luke Dean, PhD, (Utah Valley University), Nathan Harness, PhD, (Texas A&M), Craig Lemoine, CFP®, PhD (University of Illinois), and Martin Seay, PhD, CFP® (Kansas State University).

Unit 2: Find the Fit – Aligning Career Models with Your Values  

Introduces participants to common firm models and work styles across the industry.

Unit 3: Make Your Move – Build Your Career Plan  

Helps learners build realistic 30-, 60-, and 90-day plans for their career journeys.

The course also includes a Career Fit workbook and networking guidance designed to connect learners with established professionals, helping to address the sense of isolation that can contribute to early-career attrition in financial services.

Increasing Awareness Surrounding Financial Services

“Financial services firms need a recruitment and retention solution that's cost-effective, outcome-driven, and relevant," said Valencia Gabay, PhD, CFEI®, program lead for Pursue^SM and managing director of the American College Center for Economic Empowerment and Equality. “Pursue^SM increases awareness of the profession and its many career paths, strengthens alignment between new professionals and their roles, and prepares participants to be more confident in taking their next steps towards a designation or professional education   – all in a free, three-hour course.”

The College is partnering with colleges and universities, financial services firms, and military and workforce development organizations to distribute Pursue^SM to the students, career-changers, and early-career professionals who stand to benefit most. Firms can also use the course to help identify and support talented candidates from nontraditional pathways and backgrounds as they build their talent pipelines.

Pursue^SM lays the groundwork for a new workforce development platform that will focus on fostering awareness and early-career alignment, reducing attrition through applied simulation, stronger skills, and expanded networks, and crystalizing a path to career success.

To learn more and enroll in Pursue^SM, please visit https://www.theamericancollege.edu/learn/workforce-development-programs/pursue.

For more information, contact:

Jared Trexler
610-526-1268
jared.trexler@theamericancollege.edu

Sarah Tremallo
908-967-0381
americancollege@jconnelly.com

About The American College of Financial Services

The American College of Financial Services is the nation's largest nonprofit and accredited educational institution devoted to financial services professionals. Nearly one in five advisors or agents is an alum of The College. The College offers a learning platform that includes professional designation, certification, and degree programs and encompasses early-career foundational knowledge as well as deep, specialized education in tax, retirement income, philanthropy, risk management, and more with the highest-quality combination of rigor and relevance. The College's faculty represents the foremost thought leaders in the financial services industry. Its educational programs, research, and events offer professionals the opportunity to expand earnings, deepen relationships, and deliver improved client outcomes.

Visit The College's website at TheAmericanCollege.edu to discover all the ways to gain expertise for every stage.