Any tips / advices for a mother with kids????

I’d say go for it, but don’t beat yourself up if you don’t make a clean-sweep of the exams! Good luck 🙂

I’m in the same boat as @Mattyc, have a yound daughter 7 months old and attempting Level II. I’ve found it incredibly hard to devote the required time to study, particularly on the weekends when all you really want to do is be a parent but you know you need to study. My guilt has been too strong to stay late everynight and I find myself getting in for 7am and doing 1.5hours in the morning, trying to do 45 minutes through lunch and doing another 1.5hours at night when my wife and daughter are in bed. The only problem is that CFA, Level II in particular requires long stints of time to make much progress, you really need to give it 3 – 4 hours at a go and you can make good head way on the material. As a result I am staring down the barrel of not having even been through the full course yet (Still Derviative and PM to go) so it is unlikely, but not impossible that I will do enough to pass.

In summary my advise is that it is doable but you have to make a call that CFA study is as important as parenting, which to date I haven’t been able to swallow!!! Anyway its not over yet 2 big weeks to go anything could happen

Hi @Muneera,

Ok here’s advice from someone in the same boat as you – I am a first-time mom a 1.5 year old (adorable) girl, currently pursuing the CFA a a means of advancing both my education and career prospects for when I choose to reenter the work force. I’m a Level I candidate for this June so I’m just about completing the whole studying cycle. That being said, here are my few points of advice to you. First off, you absolutely must have both your kids in day care for at least a few hours a day so that you can fully devote yourself during that time to your studies. You will have to be very self-discipled to ensure that you really capitalize on that time, as you will NOT be able to study when your kids are home. I was averaging 3-4 hours a day, 5x a week for around 4 months. In the final month leading up to the exam, I would suggest that you have either your husband or a babysitter watch the kids for an additional 2-3 hours in the afternoon or in the early evening around 3 times a week so that you can get out of the house and to really put in that extra push before the big day. One last point – I would not recommend waking up early/staying up late as your primary plan as you will absolutely need a full night’s sleep to conquer being a CFA candidate AND a full-time mom. Using this as a last resort for those days when one of your kids are sick is fine, but don’t make this your first plan of action.

Hope that helps, and best of luck to you on your choice. Just know that if you do decide to go for it – know that your study time will not only be highly educational, but will also make you a much more fulfilled and content mom during the time that you are with your kids.

Hi @Muneera. Let me first say that you are a rockstar for raising two young kids and embarking on the CFA. I am a father of a 3 month old and I work full time while studying for the CFA L2 exam. As you already know this will not be an easy task but there are many parents in your shoes so it can be done. The two biggest obstacles for you will be finding time and focusing without succumbing to self-guilt. I often feel guilty about spending less time with my daughter in order to study and Im sure as a mother you will put a tremendous amount of pressure balancing studying with family responsibilities. Is the father or another consistent care-giver in the picture? If so, you need to have a honest conversation with them about the time commitment the cfa exams require. Being home during the day would allow you to spend time with your kids and then later in the evening let someone else watch them while you study. I can also tell you that studying at home has been difficult for me becuase of the happy distraction presented by my daughter. I started going to the library after work every day for the past 4 weeks which has really helped during this final push.

I hope you are lucky enough to have an understanding companion to help out with the kids. I admire your work ethic and remember that in the end the sacrifice will benefit your kids the most. Good luck.

@Muneera – are you planning on returning to work in finance / investments?

If not, bear in mind that outside of the investment world the CFA designation doesn’t pull that much weight (especially compared to the time invested in it!!!!). Honestly, if you’re looking at filling a gap on your CV and you’re not moving into the investment/analysis space, I’d be looking at something like an MBA as it’s more widely recognised and more evenly distributed across mini-milestones.

But that said, if it’s the CFA you want to do (and if you have some finance background) then I’d say go for it! It’s a great challenge and (for those in the business) it’s a mark of determination!

@Muneera‌ , I am in a similar boat as you although I have a 4 month old to take care of. Have you a final decision yet? I am still in the midst of creating a realistic study plan and would love some insights from you and from other people here. Daycare is not an option for me and my husband can only pitch in over the weekends. I am thinking of clocking in two hours of studying time with an additional 30 mins of revision time every day until about a month and a half before the exam. Does that sound reasonable?

I think it’s possible to manage, but you will need to learn to manage your time precisely and carefully. You also need to learn to manage your energy and choose more important tasks over the less important ones