What does Level II guarantee? (Sydney)

I’ll be having a brief stint at Sydney/Adelaide a year from now, does passing Level II assures me of a job in banking/finance? Crap jobs included, I don’t mind. I heard the job market is not doing good anyway. I worked at a US stock exchange and a local corporate banking division for the past 3.5 years.

Guarantees nothing. Your previous work experience and/or who you know is far more important.

Gte’s nothing.

I had to explain to my boss what “CFA” was before he authorized reimbursement for the exam fees. I’m in management consulting, at a reputed firm in NY/DC. Take the test if you want to learn something. The charter (or candidacy) is an icing on the cake on top a good resume/CV. Don’t expect anything to be guaranteed.

Why do so many people (especially those taking this exam, but more generally in life) think that doing something should guarantee them something? Getting an Md doesnt guarantee you anything, it just allows you opportunities. You are taking a risk, investing your time and money in this exam. It may pay off, it may not. You need to be prepared for both.

guarantees that you will be able to register for the Level 3 exam if you choose to go on.

right, guarantee is a way too assuring word. perhaps the question “would it open doors for me?”. i guess no.

i just thought it would give me a slight edge. already got the answer, i appreciate the insights.

i think it does open doors. It opened doors for me. Look into GMAT as well.

Oh boy. This thread is going to take off.

Same, this and networking got me my current job. They were impressed by the fact I was a level III candidate.

No problem. Some here will be more “colorful” with their replies, that’s standard AF. The important thing to remember is that it’s exceedingly rare for someone to be handed a job or opportunity based solely on passing a certain level or even obtaining the charter. Experience and networking will always trump letters.

I just had a meeting with two guys working in roles that I would badly want to be in and both are L1 failures without a retry. They focused instead on grinding at their jobs at the time instead of continuing the program and now they’re doing beyond well for themselves.

Yes I have seen numerous people on here and other places state they got calls for interviews at least after passing L2 when they werent really getting many bites before. It may put you over the hump for some, but it by itself isnt going to do a ton most likely.

it guarantees nothing except a big door of pain and suffering at Level 3. /The End

That was my experience, after level 2, i finally started getting calls. But just to be clear, not front office type stuff. Like very low paying finance, which I was okay with at the time.

Where did you move to after finance if I may ask Hpracing?

I’ll make you a guarantee - it will increase your response rate when reaching out to network with charterholders. By what amount, that I cannot guarantee or predict.

Haven’t left yet, took the job I mentioned and without getting into too much detail, got a job in ER after another job change and a couple years.

get the cfa levels out of the way then get into some operations role at a regional-sized firm. if they like you and you are bright and you show interest in inv management roles then there is a good chance you will transfer to FO. I have seen it happen many times…But straight into FO from nothing…never seen it happen. FO work does not involve you to make the 5th generation fighter jet or Mars Rover III. Just keep trying.

keen on forming a study group in Sydney?