Find Your Path
Not sure what to study? Answer 20 quick questions. There are no right answers, so pick what's true, not what sounds impressive.
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Your path
How you think
When you look at a company, your first question is whether it's a good bet. You like having a view, backing it with evidence, and finding out if you were right. Numbers don't scare you, but what actually interests you is the story behind them: why one company grows and another stalls. You're fine with risk, as long as you've done the thinking first.
How you think
You like things to be right. When something's messy, you'd rather sort it out than ignore it, and a budget that balances or a plan that holds together genuinely satisfies you. You're not chasing big risks. You'd rather know exactly where the money goes and help make sound decisions with it. People trust you with the details because you actually check them.
How you think
When you see a problem, your instinct is to fix it yourself, probably by starting something. You're comfortable not knowing how it'll turn out, and a predictable path sounds a bit boring. You learn by doing, you pick up whatever skill the moment needs, and you'd rather have something real and imperfect than a perfect plan that never launches.
How you think
You zoom out. When prices rise or a new policy is announced, you want to know what caused it and who it affects. You're drawn to big questions (jobs, growth, how a country like Saudi reshapes its economy) more than to any single company. You like understanding the rules, and you also like asking whether they're the right ones.
How you think
You're interested in people: why they buy, what makes them care, why one brand wins and another fades. You're good at explaining ideas and getting others on board, and you'd rather be in the room than behind a spreadsheet. You think about where a company should go next, not just what it did last year.
How you think
You want proof. When someone makes a claim, you want to see the numbers, and you enjoy finding the pattern everyone else missed. You're comfortable with maths and probably curious about coding. You'd rather build the analysis that settles a decision than argue about it without evidence.
Your second path
Your second path is .
Majors that fit
- Finance (closest fit)
- Economics
- Business Analytics
Majors that fit
- Accounting
- Finance
- Business Administration
Majors that fit
- Business Administration
- Entrepreneurship track (where offered)
- Marketing
Any major works if you build on the side.
Majors that fit
- Economics
- Finance
Majors that fit
- Business Administration (Marketing track)
- Marketing
- Business Analytics
Majors that fit
- Business Analytics / Data Science
- Finance (quantitative track)
- Economics
Majors, explained
Finance asks what to do with money. Accounting records what money did. Economics studies how money moves across a whole country. Business Administration teaches how an organisation runs. Business Analytics turns data into decisions.
- Finance: how money is raised, invested and managed. You learn to value companies, understand markets and make investment decisions. It looks forward.
- Accounting: recording and reporting what happened to money: financial statements, tax, audit. It's precise and looks backward, and it's the most direct route to a professional licence.
- Economics: how whole markets and countries behave: prices, jobs, inflation, trade, policy. It has more theory and maths, and it's about systems, not running one company.
- Business Administration: a broad degree covering management, marketing, finance and operations. It keeps doors open but goes less deep in any one area. Marketing and Entrepreneurship are usually tracks inside it.
- Business Analytics / Data Science: statistics, coding and modelling applied to business decisions. It's the most technical of the five.
Careers
Equity research analyst · Asset/portfolio manager · Investment banking analyst · Venture capital analyst · Risk analyst
Where in Saudi
PIF · Saudi Exchange (Tadawul) and the Capital Market Authority · bank investment arms (SNB Capital, Al Rajhi Capital, Riyad Capital) · asset managers like Jadwa and Hassana · VC firms like STV and Raed Ventures
Qualifications later
CFA
Do this month
- Pick a Tadawul-listed company you've heard of, find its latest quarterly results on saudiexchange.sa, and write down one number that surprised you.
- Do JPMorgan's free Investment Banking simulation on Forage (~3–4 hours).
- Go through the resources from Namaa's Investing 101 workshop.
Careers
Financial analyst · Auditor · Accountant · Budgeting & forecasting (FP&A) analyst · Treasury analyst · eventually CFO
Where in Saudi
finance teams at Aramco, SABIC, STC and Almarai · Big Four firms (Deloitte, PwC, EY, KPMG) · banks · ministries and government entities
Qualifications later
SOCPA (the Saudi accounting licence) · CPA · CMA
Do this month
- Track every riyal you spend for two weeks and sort it into categories. That's a basic income statement.
- Work through Khan Academy's free Accounting and financial statements unit.
- Go through the resources from Namaa's Investing 101 workshop.
Careers
Founder · Startup operations · Product manager · Business development · Family business
Where in Saudi
a startup scene backed by Monsha'at and Saudi Venture Capital · Saudi startups that grew fast, like Tamara, Tabby, Jahez and Foodics · accelerators · family businesses
Qualifications later
None needed. What counts is what you've built.
Do this month
- Find one small problem at school or at home and sell a solution to it, even if only to five people.
- Do BCG's free Intro to Strategy Consulting on Forage to practise breaking a problem down (~4–5 hours).
- Watch an interview with a Saudi founder and write down what they did in their first year.
Careers
Economist · Policy analyst · Research analyst · Government strategy roles
Where in Saudi
SAMA · Ministry of Economy and Planning · Ministry of Finance · GASTAT · Vision 2030 programmes · PIF · economics teams at banks and consulting firms
Qualifications later
Usually a master's rather than a certificate
Do this month
- Pick one Vision 2030 goal and find out what has actually changed so far.
- Start Saylor Academy's free Principles of Microeconomics (ECON101); the certificate is free.
- Read one GASTAT release on inflation or unemployment and explain it to a friend in two sentences.
Careers
Marketing specialist · Brand manager · Growth marketer · Strategy analyst · Management consultant
Where in Saudi
consulting firms with Riyadh offices (McKinsey, BCG, Strategy&) · brand teams at Almarai, STC and Jarir · the tourism and entertainment sectors growing under Vision 2030
Qualifications later
HubSpot and Google marketing certificates
Do this month
- Pick a Saudi brand you like and write down three things it does to win customers.
- Do HubSpot Academy's free Digital Marketing course, which comes with a certificate (~4–6 hours).
- Go through the resources from Namaa's Careers in Finance & Business workshop.
Careers
Data analyst · Business analyst · Quantitative analyst · Data scientist · Risk modeller
Where in Saudi
SDAIA · data teams at banks, Aramco and STC · fintechs like Tamara and Tabby · analytics teams at consulting firms
Qualifications later
A portfolio of real projects matters more than a certificate
Do this month
- Do Kaggle Learn's free Python and Pandas courses.
- Do JPMorgan's free Quantitative Research simulation on Forage (~6–7 hours).
- Collect data on something you care about, like your sleep or a football team's results, and make one chart from it.
See all six paths
Investment & Markets
When you look at a company, your first question is whether it's a good bet. You like having a view, backing it with evidence, and finding out if you were right. Numbers don't scare you, but what actually interests you is the story behind them: why one company grows and another stalls. You're fine with risk, as long as you've done the thinking first.
Corporate Finance & Accounting
You like things to be right. When something's messy, you'd rather sort it out than ignore it, and a budget that balances or a plan that holds together genuinely satisfies you. You're not chasing big risks. You'd rather know exactly where the money goes and help make sound decisions with it. People trust you with the details because you actually check them.
Entrepreneurship & Business Building
When you see a problem, your instinct is to fix it yourself, probably by starting something. You're comfortable not knowing how it'll turn out, and a predictable path sounds a bit boring. You learn by doing, you pick up whatever skill the moment needs, and you'd rather have something real and imperfect than a perfect plan that never launches.
Economics & Policy
You zoom out. When prices rise or a new policy is announced, you want to know what caused it and who it affects. You're drawn to big questions (jobs, growth, how a country like Saudi reshapes its economy) more than to any single company. You like understanding the rules, and you also like asking whether they're the right ones.
Marketing & Strategy
You're interested in people: why they buy, what makes them care, why one brand wins and another fades. You're good at explaining ideas and getting others on board, and you'd rather be in the room than behind a spreadsheet. You think about where a company should go next, not just what it did last year.
Data & Analytics in Business
You want proof. When someone makes a claim, you want to see the numbers, and you enjoy finding the pattern everyone else missed. You're comfortable with maths and probably curious about coding. You'd rather build the analysis that settles a decision than argue about it without evidence.
How this works: Every answer adds points to one or two of six paths. Your result shows where your answers clustered. It's a starting point, not a verdict.
Want to go deeper?
Namaa runs free workshops for students exploring all six paths.