An analyst role with a BSc and CFA1?

Question

Good day to you all, I hope everyone is doing well. I have read a few forums on the question that I pose, but none are quite close enough to mine to make a meaningful decision. I currently hold a Bachelor of Science with and Honours in Fisheries Science (Biology major). Unfortunately I realized my interest in finance in my third year and thus wanted to atleast finish my degree with an Honours. I managed to obtain a 2:1 in UK standards. Through the 4 years I had to conduct many statistical analyses and I am fairly comfortable with excel and done some work on STATISTICA. I have since been working for a company doing resource analysis and some minor investment decisions. This year I began my studies in the CIMA certificate level to grasp business concept and understand accounting better. Having always been good at maths (have an A+ in my A-levels) the course is going well and I should finish this year in August. Through doing the course I understood the vast majority of finance fields and the different paths that one can take. As my interest lie in investment banking, asset management and ultimately portfolio management, I would like to pursue a CFA to hopefully increase my chances of getting into a junior analyst role or a graduate program. I am not sure if my hopes are too high and I'm chasing an unrealistic goal. However I would like any input as I would like to make the decision of taking on a CFA this year still and get the early registration in by September. Additionally what would be the chances of landing a job after CFA 1?Thanks in advancedfor all the help.

hairyfairy · Answer

Hi @andyox, I used to work in asset management.You're not chasing an unrealistic goal, but hoping to pass CFA1 and expect a job is unrealistic. We get job candidates who have passed L1 to those that have passed all three exams. While we do prefer candidates with some CFA progress, at a junior level, it doesn't really matter how advanced their CFA progress is as long as they are happy to continue.The strongest factor however is whether they're the right fit for the job. CFA experience is strongly preferred at my firm but there are many that do, and what sets candidates apart is how they do at the interview. I'd say CFA1 is a qualifier to get your foot in the door.Hope that's not too discouraging an answer. It's a long grind to get good at interviewing and getting jobs, but it's a lifelong skill, and a good one to develop at the start of your career.

CFA_anon · Answer

do you want to learn financial modeling ?