Claritas or CFA Level 1?

Question

I work in the technology division of an investment bank. As I come from a computer science background with no knowledge about finance and economics, I was planning on taking just the Level 1 exam of the CFA charter in order to get more knowledge about this industry. I don't know whether I will go for the Level 2 exam or not later, but I am fairly certain that I will not be completing the whole charter.

Do you think the Claritas Investment Certificate is more suited to my needs as it will give me the basic knowledge but will also be a more tangible benefit for my CV as opposed to completing just the Level 1 exam (which will give me a lot more knowledge but no tangible benefit as such)?

shreeneewas · Answer

I am in same situation. I work in investment bank as IT consultant.

I considered Claritas and few others but I decided to go for CFA L1 for its reputation. After working hard for any exam, I dont want to explain what it all about. Imagine someone asking what is Claritias ? Will it ever happen with CFA exam (even if only L1) ?

Another aspect is course content. The content of CFA L1 is really top notch - no competition.

I have just started prep. Dont know how would I fare in exam? But I dont have any doubt that this a good exam to prepare for.

jimmyg · Answer

Claritas, as far as I know, is for professionals who support financial services, i.e. IT, HR, Legal, etc etc. It's a much-simplified version of the CFA syllabus, even when compared with just L1.

If you're taking a more-than-curious approach to learning finance (e.g. thinking about switching to finance) then Claritas is NOT the way to go, you're better off doing L1.

But if you're looking for a way to better understand the whole industry you're involved in while continuing your support role, then Claritas is for you.