This may sound stupid but im advanced in my quest for this…
My problem - (1) Im not in investment mgt industry yet but want to get into one ; (2) I have always wanted to do PHD but havent done so yet (i hfinished an Msc - a year ago); (3) My ideal job is being a Portifolio manager. (4) Im working on CFA level 2 - & i think i can pass this but im told CFA III is tough!
To address all these, i have decided pursue a PHD program immediately after June, specialising in Portifolio management which i think will address /help address all the problems above (1) - (4). I hope specialising in portifolio management will definately help with CFA level III but also augument in getting portifolio manager (or assistant) role in 3-4 years time. By the way i will be studying part-time…and my current accounting job pays well (though i really dont want to keep on doing this after 3 years).
Does this sound like a good idea. If NO - please dont be rude, give me some feedback. If YES, please give me some idea of what thesis proposal topics i could study along the lines of portifolio management.
Well… my opinion is that this goal should be accomplished in more efficient ways - i.e. MBA. If you don’t have the credentials to transition from your current field to a different field, via MBA or other ways, a PhD probably will not help. Also, you can get a part time PhD over 3 years?
Edit: Perhaps this merits the question: what is the easiest way for me to obtain a PhD in something… anything? Then you must all call me “Doctor” forever. Once, I stayed in corporate housing and the organizer accidentally put “Dr.” in the reservation form. So, the hotel people all called me Doctor.
Most PHDs in UK are 3 -4 years; and i understand most of them are effectively part-time as you are not required to be at university all the time…its a " research" program but it depends with school and supervisor; (of couse there is some minimum time you are expected to be at school – i have already done some homework/ contacts and found a few UK schools).
Forgot to mention, it has to be from top school, probably top 20 to matter, but PhD in Econ/Finance from right school can lend you a job at fund such as 2Sigma and AQR
I’m not a PhD, but I seriously doubt that there are any PhD studies that will help you pass Level 3. And I seriously doubt that studying for Level 3 will help you in your PhD studies.
If you want to pass Level 3, you should study L3 curriculum.
If you want to get a PhD, you should do PhD-type research.
L3 is L3, PhD is PhD, and never the twain shall meet.
Unless you want to be an academic research or a university professor, there really isn’t much reason to get a Ph.D… Many people start a Ph.D. because they want to be called “Doctor.” It’s probably a lot better to enroll in a medical program if you want to be “Doctor So-and-so.”
In the last 60 years, specialized Masters’ degree programs have sprouted up in many disciplines (MBA, MFE, MPA, MFA, etc.) for people who need specialized knowledge beyond the undergraduate curriculum, but who are not intending to be university professors or university researchers.
It used to be that if you wanted an extra smart person, you looked for someone with a Ph.D., today you generally look for someone with a master’s degree and experience in whatever area you are looking for. This is true in policy circles, in tech and biotech circles (though less so), and it is true in financial circles.
In finance roles, people discovered that mathematics and physics Ph.D.s were very useful for things that computer processing power had enabled. In the 1990s, it was very popular to hire academic physicists and mathematicians for quant modeling and risk modeling. But in the 2000s, specialized masters’ programs developed in these areas. Today, firms will still hire Ph.D.s, but the Ph.D. is not as coveted as it was 15 years ago. Traditional physicists and mathematicians no longer find it easy to jump into finance if they don’t like the academic world. Moreover, many people in finance look down on academics as being “just academics.”
I don’t really think pursuing a Ph.D. really suits you if what you want to do is be a Portfolio Manager.
I totally understand what you are saying. But i forgot to mention in my earlier post that im originally from S.Africa where a PHD = to being knighted by the Queen ( and one day i will go back; but i really mean that a PHD opens so many doors, far than you can imagine in the west). I work in UK and i understand PHDs are not as coveted as they used to be here, but a decent PHD will get me a Portifolio manager role (which is what i just want from my UK exprience)…i have seen a few breaktthoughs. Studying CFA L3 whilst research Portifolio mgt PHD program is just a way of killing 3 or so birds with one stone. Im totally against MBA (too expensive and only MBA from very very good school add value).
Check out their backgrounds. If you want to be a quantitative analyst, then applying to a firm like this will give you a salary that is 10X higher than any investment banking gig out there.
Actually if you look at the top earning portfolio managers, their teams consist mostly of PHDs in fields unrelated to finance.
The pay in these firms are well beyond what investment bankers get paid.