http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5q5-IJMDYs
there’s nothing you can do except get your PHD “playa haters degree?” dat’s right “oh hellll yea”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Iym3qJ0qq4
Do you think you snake me… cuz they hate me Or you got a phd player haters degree
I’m going to call troll on that phd’s don’t need more than 30 hours of study to pass
As a PhD candidate from an adequate university myself I can assure you that 30h does not even cover the time I spent for L1 ethics, which is a mandatory study subject regardless of your prior training or education.
I have both an MBA from a top tier Canadian University and CFA. In Canada it makes a difference. These will get you interviews, during which your skills and personality will be tested for a good fit. They guarantee that you will be set apart from those who do not have them, or at least put you closer to the same competitive level as someone who has experience but none of the credentials. Since I graduated in the middle of the financial collapse, I was banking on the latter.
Having trouble finding a job in Banking? Try a small town in the middle of nowhere where no experienced professional wants to go. You may like it. Cost of living is low, pace of life is slower, and people are nicer. That’s what I did and now I have experience, an MBA, and CFA. I work for a chartered Bank in Canada back in a major city and the possibilities are endless with those three items in my back pocket, especially in the biggest city in Canada.
The skillset you gain with them is very versatile and you can contribute to a diverse organization like a large Bank in many ways. Imagine being able to do commercial banking for 5 years, then make the switch into investment management for another 5 years, then product development for another 5 years, etc… Imagine how you can use those skills to develop the business strategy of the whole Bank in an executive position.
It’s kind of hard to be so versatile and have so much job potential without the foundation/education, which the CFA and MBA provide. They will set you apart from the crowd in the beginning and you will most likely get you a job if you are a decent hard working individual, but like anything in life (even engineering, law, and medicine) in the end, it’s all up to you.
That statement is true. On the other hand, nearly 100% of people working in finance fall into one of those three buckets.
I definitely disagree. There are many, many people in finance that don’t know what the CFA is or have no interest in taking it.
Got to agree with Vandelay. Many people (especially with BSD status) either don’t know about the CFA or don’t care.
In the Banking industry, those who do not have clerical jobs know of the CFA, its importance in finance, the difficulty it takes to pass, and the skills it brings. Fortunately many CFA charterholders and candidates will be working alongside those people.
The charter i blieve will give you a leg up and make you a better prospect for high level jobs. I wouldnt listen to people here. Since most of them dont have much experience in the finance field
One amazing benefit is that you get to display “CFA Charterholder” next to your avatar on AF
You dont even have the charter. How can you speak with credibility to its advantages in the job market?
Don’t underestimate the value of that. 
One is example is my boss, who told me he will not hire portfolio managers unless they have a CFA. Im an analyst currently.
Second example: alot of job boards have CFA preferred in their skill requirements. If you have it, you will be on the top of the candidate pool for the job. So all the newbies on here that dont have job experience have no idea what they are talking about… but not me, sorry to bust your bubble .
Disagree.
1st example: That’s not the norm from my experience. I’d go for a PM with an established track record first, far more valuable then having those 3 letters.
2nd: I will admit I do write “CFA preferred” when I’m looking for folks, but it does NOT in any way put the person at the top of the pile. Past work exp is #1 by far, good fit/personality is #2, CFA only ever comes in at the end as icing on the cake. If I’m absolutely torn between 2-3 finalists, CFA would tend to seal the deal. (but this is usually rare as 1 person tends to stand out)
How many years of experience would you say the CFA counts for as far as when it comes to deciding who to call in for an interview? ie you’re looking for a senior PM, which of these get a call in for an interview?
CFA+ 5-7 years good experience
CFA + 10+ years iffy experience
CFA+ 2-3 years great experience
No CFA & 5-7 years good experience
No CFA & 10 years iffy experience
No CFA & 2-3 years great experience
How does academic background come into effect, as well? is an MBA a requirment? top 5 MBA only? or could you not care less and only rely on experience?
I don’t think anyone expects employers to value the CFA Charter over real world experience. After all how can anything get done properly if people don’t have experience actually doing things on the job and in the real world? Banking/Finance is a mentorship industry and young entrants need to demonstrate that they can work with the fundamentals of finance so mentors (who are capable of teaching) can help young grads develop real world skills.
What holding that Charter, or being a L1, L2, or L3 candidate/graduate really does is give entry level candidates an advantage over those who do not have these accomplishments. That’s the purpose of education, really. In this day in age when competition is fierce for University graduates, the ability to demonstrate commitment and general intellect as well as a basic understanding of finance fundamentals, there is a healthy balance between too little education and too much.
The CFA is definitely not too little nor is it too much. It’s a well respected deisgnation that turns heads and makes candidates stand out from those who have chosen not to engage in learning more about the finance realm. Not doing it will most ceretainly not make opportunities in the finance realm intangible for new grads, but may limit their candidacy for those roles that offer more room for career advancement.
so you are suggesting that th CFA only be used as a distinguish credential of effort/aptitude for entry-level positions, similar to a college degree? Perhaps that is true, but it doesn’t seems like many people get it that early. In fact, with 4 year work experience requirement it’s not even possible to have it without work first.
I think most candidiates/pursuers of the charter hope that it does count for some real-world work experience. Otherwise, what would be the point? If the person with 3 years more experience than you ALWAYS got the job, the CFA would be a total waste of time. People would just sit and bide their time and let their experience accumulate. Instead, they believe getting the CFA can expedite the process somewhat and count for a few years experiece
Great questions Vandelay. On a side note, what is the exchange rate of unicorns to leprechauns?
Did you do your PhD in a top 500?