(NewsUSA) - The number of Americans quitting their jobs reached record-setting highs in 2021. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, more than 38 million people left their positions during the year. More than 4.5 million of those resignations took place in November alone.

If you were among those millions, you may be starting the new year looking for a new job -- one that offers more flexibility, work-life balance and a greater sense of personal fulfillment. If so, the financial planning profession may be a good fit for you.

CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals work with individuals and families to review their financial situations and identify strategies to help maximize their chances of achieving life goals. They may advise clients on saving for retirement, investing money to purchase a home or start a business or paying for a child's education. Financial planners also help businesses design and manage retirement plans and other financial programs for their employees.

Financial planning positions vary widely from one company to the next, and there are numerous ways to enter this in-demand profession. Here are five of the most common:

1. Join a company's financial planning department. Financial planning departments draft financial plans, answer client questions and service requests, research investment options, and perform custom analyses of financial options and decisions.

2. Start a career in financial planning operations. Operations professionals maintain advisor and client files, collect client information, generate client reports and help with troubleshooting, among other responsibilities.

3. Work for a virtual advice center. New hires at virtual advice centers answer calls from existing customers and help them with personal financial matters, ranging from stock trades to portfolio adjustments to account distributions. As employees gain experience, they move into more specialized financial planning roles and services.

4. Join the advisory team at a bank or financial advisor's local branch office. Here, a financial planner typically starts out by assisting clients with opening accounts, completing transfers and other basic service requests. With time, they will handle more complex client cases and assist with more advanced products and services.

5. Work for a company that supports financial planners. These include FinTech companies, asset managers and FinTech company platform providers.

CFP Board's recently published Guide to Careers in Financial Planning provides more information about starting and sustaining successful financial planning careers. You can also find career guidance and financial planning job and internship postings on the CFP Board Career Center.

Whatever path you choose, pursuing a financial planning career may provide you with many personal and professional benefits in the new year. For more information about financial planning as a career, visit CFP.net/Why-CFP-Certification.