Sh*t People Say (to CFA Candidates)

I fully expect to hear someone say “So how was your vacation?” next Monday when I resume work.

Some people are like:
You are good at finance, you can do it.

Others are actually quiet opposite:

May be you should do an easier course (CIPM is often suggested to me)

Or Will CFA be beneficial to you

“I’m sure you’ll pass” was uttered to me by a lot of colleagues – including those that did the CFA themselves. As I was more visibly studying than my colleagues (I scheduled weekly meetings after work to study and those were rarely visited except by myself), I was rapidly becoming the ‘benchmark’ of CFA studying. This put me in an awkward position, as I couldn’t fail while those who expected me to pass didn’t. Luckily I passed, but still… I’ll be getting some revenge on them in the coming years for sure!

i constantly get a barrage of “oh don’t worry you do actuarial! CFA is finance, you don’t need to study for it!”. a great comment for people with low-blood pressure.

wrg,idts

Various stuff like this applies not only to the CFA but way too many areas of life where people feel the need to insert themselves somehow into other people’s decisions they haven’t thought about. Whether it’s commenting on someone else’s career choice, college major, choice to go into business, people for some reason like to open their mouths even when what comes out is just going to have an effect from somewhere from annoying to hurtful.

This is basically the mechanism by which pointless cultural enforcement of norms that don’t make any sense at all, are perpetuated.

Here are some good alternative things you can say if you want to respond to what someone said but have no idea what the f*** it’s about:
* “Oh? Really?”
* “How did you get interested in that?”
* “What appeals to you about that?”
* “How are you feeling about that right now?”

I laughed at these…but you missed the best one: “Oh its multiple choice and only 3 options, that’s easy!!!” I finished level 3 in 2012…man reading this brings back really bad memories hahahahaha

LOL! “I’m sure you will pass is very common in these parts”

Haha. I am just over worry about my prep. Then reading this made me laugh so hard.

These posts made me laugh. I copped this one the other day (edited sans expletives):

“Mate, are you going to even bother to study for it? I think I know a guy that did that course. I reckon you’ll find it freaking easy…. no doubt there’s nothing in it that you don’t already know back to front”

This is fantastic

I get a lot of ‘Why are you doing it?’ which I think is worse because it often results in a looooong discussion on pros and cons and whatever. When I really need to be studying.

totally made me laugh. I love it!! It can get really annoying when people in your family have this unshakable belief that you are the Einstein of Finance (though that is light years away from the truth) and that you are going to pass no matter what. And the pressure it puts on you to succeed is daunting as if the studying itself wasn’t.

You guys are great. These posts really give us a reason to take a few minutes off and have a good laugh when we really need it. Keep up the good work!

i’m yet to register and my friends already saying that you can do it …. we cant …!!! makes me want to punch right on their throat

HAHAHA  “i’m sure you’ll pass”…the amount of times I hear this at work 

A late entry into the fray, but… “God, I’ve heard that’s really difficult. My friend xyz said she knows a few people and they’ve all failed it several times. But you’ve been in finance for years, so you’ll be fine. And you’re not stupid, you’ve never failed an exam…”
This seems to imply two things;-
One, that the people who failed are stupid (which we know isn’t true)
Two, that I’m so superior and with my amazing knowledge of all things money (which also ins’t true) that I cannot possibly fail.

No pressure then. Cheers!

HAHAHAHAHA, can’t wait to harbor the same feelings as the author