Hi Everyone. I am planning to enroll into the CFA program but most of my career I’ve been doing mostly market analysis however when it comes to investment analysis, funds management, portfolio management etc.( almost all of the CFA working experience requirements) I have literally zero experience but I want to shift my career into finance. Does passing a CFA Level I exam provide some initial basis for getting an internship or a basic job in any kind of finance analysis, do companies see it as a valuable thing?
I don’t think it’s worth it anymore. I just can’t quit because I was raised to always stand by my decisions - good, or bad.
I think it’s worth it. not because putting it on your cv will automatically get you a great job (there is no such thing with any degree) but because if you take it seriously you will learn a lot and develop skills that make you a more interesting/knowledgeable/trustworthy finance professional.
It’s not worth it unless you’re already in Investment Analysis.
But don’t take my word for it. Do some research. Find people who have a job you think a CFA Charter would help you secure and do an informational interview – find out what the job is really like, what are the prospects for someone with your background is, etc.
Every dream is worth pursuing. I know it’s important to be practical, however if you want to move into Investment Industry, the CFA Program definitely helps. But there are no guarantees that the journey will be smooth. Also, you will need additional skills which are not part of CFA Curriculum. You can add those additional skills by self study or trainings programs. You never want to have a feeling later in your life that you never tried.
Exactly, I expect the journey to be as turbulent as possible however i hope by passing the exam i get at least an internship opportunity just to get things going
That’s a good point, doing an informational interview, that can help. Thanks.
I do not think so - programming skills will give you much better position in the job market
The grass is always green on the other side. Programmers think that CFA Designation helps to take it to the next level. Though Programming is helping Quant Analysts a lot these days.
Well for programmers CFA might be helpful as additional asset but not essential
CFA charterholder with just excel+vba skills is not as valuable candidate as person with C++/C#/Java/Python skills but poor knowledge of finance
Agree, they say that even at most finance companies to have knowledge of a programming language especially Python on your CV is a must
Indeed - at the very end of the day programming skills will give you much higher NPV than CFA or any other certificate and our time is limited …
The short answer is, “Yes, it’s worth it.”
Unless, of course, it isn’t.