hi, i am currently studying for L1 exam and trying to justify my reason for signing up for this in the first place. i recently finished my masters in econ and have no work experience. i took a couple finance courses there, which weren’t all that stimulating or captivating (but at least they were less theoretical and made more sense than pure econ). at the moment i am studying and looking for jobs right now, but if i end up getting a job in the public sector as research analyst or policy analyst or something to that extent, i won’t be able to count that as relevant work experience, will i? i am just wondering how far will CFAI go in terms of accepting relevant work experience… i’ve read sample occupations on cfai website, but i’m not sure if i am interested in becoming any of those, or something similar to those. so i just feel a bit silly and ridiculous for jumping into this without knowing for sure i want to work in finance area. anyone ever have same problem?
anything that helps the invesment decision making process works. just word it well.
If I were you, I would concentrate on my job search, build contacts in the industry I want to get into … CFA requires a hard core dedication (esp if you want to pass level 2) and if you plan to leave in the middle, I find that useless… wasting time and money (not a smart investment)…
I know a few guys who are charter holders and work for crown corporations and government. Researching a companies finances to either buy stocks or to prove due diligence in contracting (an investment in services) is still helping an investment decision. My thoughts on that one - would be interested to hear other people’s views.
Foundations and endowments are non-profit organizations that would use a CFA charterholder. There are some government owned organizations that might use CFAs too: AIG, Freddie and Fannie come to mind. The Treasury department is setting up a hedge fund, which might benefit from CFA type skills.
if you dont find finance exciting, you shouldnt be taking this test, you are right
so… everyone who takes this test finds finance exciting? particular which area?
approaching_c Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > so… everyone who takes this test finds finance > exciting? particular which area? equities and some macro
approaching_c Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > so… everyone who takes this test finds finance > exciting? particular which area? ethics
daj224 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > approaching_c Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > so… everyone who takes this test finds > finance > > exciting? particular which area? > > > equities and some macro agreed, though for me it’s macro and some equities.
i passed L1 today and got hired with the government as an analyst, but i will mostly do research and policy making, stuff which isn’t exactly investment related. if i failed L1 i wasn’t going to pursue the designation, especially since i am not sure about the eligibility of my job towards the charter, but now… i am a bit stuck in limbo (although while studying for L1 i was almost sure i won’t sign up for L2 even if i were to pass L1 because it was very difficult for me to keep myself engaged in this material). HOWEVER, after having spent a few months studying L1 and now, knowing that i have passed, i fear i might regret later for giving up. for now i think i will only sign up for L2 if the study material itself is interesting. does anyone know the difference in L1 and L2 in terms of topics and the curriculum? i liked econ, quant, portfolio mgmt, and derivatives, but found the rest difficult and confusing to study. unfortunately FSA and Fixed Income type of things are integral parts of the exam… any advice appreciated, thanks
L2=L1 * 2