Are there any outsiders (chemical engineer, teacher, philosopher etc.) who are taking / have taken the exams? Did it work for you, were you able to “start a new life” following your passion (finance)? What would you do differently if you were to take the exams again?
I was a delivery driver prior to this. I work in fintech right now and my title is “Investment Manager Support specialist”. It’s honestly a really really really cool gig for a 26/yr old. I didn’t transition my career over from any other profession, but, if I can break in as a delivery driver, I figure someone who a teacher probably can too - especially if you’re a chemical engineer.
Philosopher turned equity analyst here.
Got my job before I started studying for CFA. Was able to learn a huge amount on the job but CFA was the real kicker. Now that I’ve made progress through the program I feel like I no longer need to justify my interest in investment and I have a lot more credibility. I would not do anything differently - I think demonstrating that you can succeed in passing a finance exam in addition to having an unconventional background makes one a potentially more interesting hire.
Undergrad was in computer engineering…never worked a day as such. Went into banking out of college, finished MBA and got CFA and working as a portfolio manager now.
I went pretty much straight from warhead designer to mortgage security analyst.
2 years in Marketing (Search engine optimization) to buy side M&A