Passed Level 1 - trouble finding a job and no one knows what the cfa is

CFA General
#1

So I passed Level this December 2017. I had high hopes on finding a good job that pays around US$1,500 monthly (that is quite a nice salary here in Nicaragua), some of my friends earn around these figures and they have one major (I have 2, they maybe have 1 year and a half experience or so. One of my friends landed US$1,800 without job experience and with a managemente deegre, which i also have. I have a finance degree and a global management degree). It is not over the roof salary as some of my friends do earn that amount. I do not have much experience. I have a 5month experience at PwC but I quit bcause i hated it.

Anyway, i need help explaining in interviews or to people what the cfa means after you passed level 1. I once went to a bank interview and i told them i was a CFA I candidate (at that time) and she then proceeded to asking me if i planned to do a post graduate course… really?

I got called from a Claro the telephone company asking me about a job position, but they did not know what the CFA was, so they offer me low paying jobs not taking into account that I have passed Level 1. When i mean low paying i mean around $700 per month purely based on my college degrees.

I can’t even enter to banks because they oversee my CFA I because they just do not know what it is. They just care if you graduated in the US. But this is stupid because I know my CFA I is way better than any Bachelor’s degree in the US. It is very frustrating that they oversee my efforts because they don’t even know what it is and what the focus of the program is.

EDIT: It may not be be better than a bachelor’s but most certain better than a 3 month post graduate. What I mean by better than a bachelor’s is that CFA I topics and specifics is covered on the master’s program. The bachelor’s program covers the generality of level 1. Plus im already studying for level 2, so it might bring some insight as to how im improving my knowledge.

#2

CFA L1 is not better than a Bachelors…lol

L1 is meaningless… It’s not a designation.

#3

I wouldn’t say it’s meaningless but neither say it is equivalent to a bachelor’s degree

#4

It is most definite better than a post graduate (those courses are like 3 months long), they are like a concentration basically. It frustrates me that they do not recognize an added value.

#5

I got a call from Clara the bartender I met at Eleven Madison Park’s bar. I sat outside the dining room because I didn’t have a jacket. She’s cute, but I’m concerned that she might just like me because she thinks I have a good job.

#6

hate to break it to ya, passing L1 doesn’t mean s**t. To put it into perspective, there are some people that have passed L3 and have a master’s degree from a good university and still can’t get the job that they want.

As for employers not knowing what CFA is, can’t blame them. While CFA is probably the most recognized finance designation in the world, it may not be well known or respected in some countries.

#7

Yes, and CFA does little in terms of marketing itself. I hear CFP ads on radio and see it on TV from time to time… CFA… zero.

I only knew of CFA after I got in the industry.

#8

arent you married?