So I managed to pass the CFA Level III exam this attempt but I’m currently a year and a few months into my first job so I still need approximately 3 years of experience to get the charter. I’m an ACCA Affiliate (passed in Feb’13) and I hold a BSc (Hons.) in Applied Accounting.
I’m currently working as an Analyst in the Financial Advisory Department for one of the Big4 Accounting Firms. Our scope normally entails buy/sell side due diligence & valuation plus any additional transaction support the client requires.
This is all dandy but the thing which bugs me is that I’m not the one TAKING the investment decision. I mean, I do all the work but at the end of the day I’m a consultant who can only make his opinions known. In short, the judgement call lies with the client.
Plan A)
Now that I’ve passed level III I’m thinking of switching into a role which integrates me better with taking the investment decision itself. e.g. as a Research Analyst (I realize I won’t be taking the decision right off the start but eventually once I’ve gained some experience I will be) or working in the treasury for a company etc. Another consequence which pushes me towards taking this decision is that the Big4, at least in my country, pays in potatoes. Loads of them but hey potatoes don’t buy diapers. So money would be another motivation to switch.
Plan B)
Another option is that I could stay where I am for another year. Get a good score on the GMAT and go for a Masters. I’ve scouted University of Mannheim (Germany) as its business school ranks in the top 100 (forbes) and theres no tuition fees but this plan would delay my charter for at least two more years, which is a real bummer.
Although my Charter would be delayed but there is the added advantage of the MSc acting as a penetration point into the German financial market plus I believe I would be worth a little more than I am now regardless of where I work once I get the MSc and as far as the experience for the charter is concerned, don’t I have my whole life for that?
Plan C)
I could stay where I am for a few more years and once I’ve gotten into a role that pays better money (my target market in this scenario would be the middle east) I could maybe do a distance learning MBA program from somewhere good.
(Yes I’m very determined on getting an MBA/MSc.)
Supplementary Info:
I’m also thinking of doing a financial modelling course from either breaking into wall street or wall street prep. Would love to know what you guys think of those.
I would appreciate it if you guys could give your opinions as to how good these plans would be and what you think I should do.
hello sir , first of all this is just my personal opinion not based on any experience in this field !
i’d say go for plan C , be patient and gain some experience , after that get yourself an MBA and i guess you will be ready to go for some good money return .
if you could give me your opinion and my new topic i’d really appreciate it , thanks !
unless it’s top 10 MBA then don’t bother. Ppl on this forum will go as far as saying unless its a top 5 MBA then don’t bother.
If you’re not getting what you want from your existing job then switch over. Personally, I dont think more education will do you any good. There are far too many, MBA, ACCA, CFA indians out there. There are not enough ppl with realy work experience grafting all night and day to make a name…
Move into the research role, write good research. Be the boss.
Thanks for thinking of me but I am not sure if I have the experience to give you adequate advice. I can, however, help you analyze the situation and see what works best for you.
Plan A) Switching to another job/ company is a good idea AS LONG AS you think you have learned everything you can from your current job. There is nothing worse than leaving a job because you didn’t think it provides you the career you want or the job is below you but you are not even competent in that position in the first place. As for Research Analyst, I am not so sure how much decisions you get to make in that role, you may run into the same situation as a consultant? Treasury department typically smaller and you get to make more day to day decisions for sure, if decision making is key for your next role, I think that can be a better option.
Plan B) I wouldn’t worry about obtaining your Charter if you are going to take a full time MBA program in Germany, it makes no difference if you have your CFA going into the program, in fact, unless you are actively seeking a job in finance, having a charter now or two years later makes no difference.
Plan C) Once you get a better paying job, will you be able to quit? I think you should always exhaust all possbile opportunities around you first before branching out. See what positions are out there for people with your experience and credentials, you may be surprised. And as for studying, you need to ask yourself if you are studying for the chance of getting your dream job or you are actually enjoying the subject. If you are enjoying the subject regardless what comes out of it, I encourage you fully to do it and do it whenever you are financiall/ mentally ready. If you are doing it thinking you may get more opportunities, I would do a bit more research because many times people are disappointed with the outcome and your energy may be better utilized elsewhere.
Firstly, I’m paki lol indians are our brothers from across the border but you were close.
Second, thank you very much. I’m thinking of that too but might still consider going for an MBA mainly because of this stat I read in the CFA Remuneration catalogue (sorry I don’t remember what its called exactly) that people who have an MBA + CFA earn quite a lot more with 10+ years of experience as compared to someone with just an MBA.
See now this is exactly why I asked you. Your replies are always drafted so well. You should get into Transaction Advisory half of what we do is breaking things down so that the head honchos can absorb it lol.
Thank you so much Miss NANA, this gives me a lot of clarity as to how I should approach this matter. I’ll definitely copy your reply onto my sticky notes for further brainstorming.
I am currently an Analyst at Deloitte with credentials that entail due diligences and a few valuations over the year that I’ve spent here. I can’t say I have learnt everything there is to learn here but I feel that I could learn all this in a different place with a much better salary. I do have a few interviews lined up this week but I’m still very double minded.
Suppose you were in my position and ceteris paribus (financial situation, social life etc) would you make the switch? Especially if the place you were switching to wasn’t a giant like Deloitte.
The main question is, will you quit your job at Deloitte if there is nothing lining up?
There are times when we just can’t stand working for a company and we will just quit no matter what, and there are times when we think we can do better and we just want to change it up to explore.
If you are not hating your job, i think the question is will you regret quitting your job if this new job doesn’t live up to your expectatlons? It is possible that the new job may not be as good as your previous, in that case, will you still be okay with it and say “you know what, i tried and it didn’t work out, but i’m glad i made the move anyway”?
This is why having an accomplished career in one company is important, despite some negatives with your company, if you find yourself in the job market again in a year, how much can you put on your resume about yoour accomplishments at Deloitte?
I am not that ambitious, i think the company i work for may not offer me everything i want but if i enjoy working there, i probably will stay and hopefully i get to advance. if there is a point where i don’t think i can advance or i don’t think i want to advance within the company (ie, i don’t want to become my manager), then i will leave, and i know i will leave with no regrets.
Well thats a lot to think about so I’m going to go over all of this before I make the final decision but I’ve decided on going for the interviews anyway. Whats the worst that could happen right?
