Not Sure What I'd Want to Do in Finance

CFA General
#1

Hi guys, I am not sure if my question is relevant to this forum but I am still trying to figure out what I’d like to do in finance.

I am currently working as a Risk Analyst but I’ve always wanted to be a Financial Analyst. However, there are so many other roles and things one can do in finance: Risk analyst, financial analyst, portfolio manager, M&A analyst, buy/sell side, real estate…and so on and so forth.

I think I’d like to get my CFA, yet I am not sure what path I’d like to eventually take and grow in. It bugs me quite a big because life rewards action, not inaction.

Any advice, please?

Thank you!

D.

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#2

Dan, you wrote, in part, that “[L]ife rewards action, not inaction.” I think I understand what you have in mind, but there are occasional times of great uncertainty when an old saying is worth heeding:

Don’t just do something. Stand there!

In other words, doing nothing trumps doing a wrong thing.

As for your concern about ‘what path [you’d] like to eventually take and grow in,’ the best advice I can give you is not to worry about it. Hard-working professionals who are developing new skills and continuing to learn will have plenty of opportunities come their way. Focus on acquiring those new skills—in particular, writing simply and elegantly—and the rest will take care of itself.

Best regards—

Warren

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#3

What are you currently doing as a Risk Analyst and what would you like to do if you got 1+ CFA exams under your belt?

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#4

Thank you, @StrategyGuy and @breadmaker .

As for your question, @breadmaker , I am currently working very frequently in Excel and writing reports. The nature of my role is to assess risk by seeing what’s going on in my company, internally. In other words, I would utilize data in Excel month-over-month and see what is the current risk level.

I do not know what I would like to do quite frankly, hence I created this thread. I think that I’d definitely like to do something more ‘core finance’ such as forecasting, modeling, budgeting.

It’s just very hard to tell/decide because there so many things one can specialize in, in finance.

For example: I can I know if I want to be a financial analyst Vs. a broker? To work at a M&A department vs IPO? to work at an investment banking or private equity? And so on…

Thanks again!

D, K.