I got my CFA level 2 exam done this June. I am currently working in a small healthcare financing firm, doing leveraged financing and a little bit about stock research (help with investment decision of those free cash). The company is small and there is no way for career development.
I am currently thinking about how my career path should be?! I am interested in equity research and think to land a job as research analyst (understand that’s tough). And long term target is to become a portfolio manager.
Is that career path reasonable? And is this a good fit for pursuing CFA certificate? Thanks!
There are a lot of options for CFA candidates: unemployed investment analyst, unemployed equity researcher, unemployed portfolio manager, unemployed CIO, unemployed market strategist, unemployed risk manager, unemployed relationship manager, unemployed wealth manager, and many more.
The employed options are out there, too, but much harder to get.
Slightly off piste, but do you guys think that for someone who is trying to get into ER, it’s O.K to put “Independent Equity Research Analysis” for gaps in your CV, provided that’s what the person was actually doing and they have results to prove it?
Linkage to this thread? bchad’s suggestion that unemployed equity researcher is a potential job for CFA candidates
Jane Zeng, what they are trying to say is that enrolling in the CFA program does not really change your profile that much. Passing CFA exams can help you demonstrate interest in investment related fields. However, your true career options are defined by your pre existing background.
To be clear, I’m just saying it’s a tough market out there, but there are a bunch of positions that the CFA can help with. Just don’t expect gates to magically open once you’re done.
There is no doubt that if you aren’t in the industry already, you will have a better grip on the terminology and the thinking that goes into investments after you’ve completed or even just made progress in the CFA exams. Other things equal, it’s better to have it than not, but it isn’t enough on its own these days.
Seems like you can transfer to a job similar than what you have but somewhere WITH potential for growth.
You can also apply to ER, yes its competitive but its not impossible… actually the guy next to me where I work got an ER job after passing level 2… and we’re in Back Office… b
Funny sidenote, just learned a guy about 4 desks from mine is CFA and MBA (Mcgill + Exchange at HEC Paris) and he does not seem anything more complicated than what I
Yes, don’t think for a minute that having advanced qualifications necessarily means you will be doing more technical roles. In a way it the opposite should be expected given the number of highly qualified candidates out there. Agreeing with bchad here in that it is a tough market.
The debate is not whether it’s a tough market. That’s a given, just like saying grass is green and the sky is blue. The debate is how long this tough market will last and the consequences of having a generation of people underemployed and unemployed.
