CFA CFA Level 1 CFA Level 1 – A person who has zero experience in the industry requesting help.

CFA Level 1 – A person who has zero experience in the industry requesting help.

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    • Avatar of zoubimzoubim
      Participant
        • Undecided
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        18
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        Hi All,

        I’m an Engineer for an Aviation & Aerospace company, a service desk to be exact. I have lost the will to continue in this field and have stumbled upon CFA and I’m contemplating participating for the June exam, however, I’m facing ALOT of issues, I really do need some guidance.

        1 – I’m coming from a Telecommunication & Electronics background, with zero knowledge of Finance/Accounting background, my major was half Math half Physics. How will this affect me preparing for the CFA?

        2 – I’m kind of short on money, I have a lot of responsibilities, parents, younger brother etc etc., all I have will be paid to enroll for the exam, that’s why I’m unsure on what material can I study that can be found online? All I see is the 2015 material and as far as I can tell, the materials change every year. 

        3 – I have downloaded the Schewser notes from Piratebay, they’re for 2015. Do I go ahead and start studying or I should look for the 2016 stuff?

        Please assist me by answering my questions, I’m struggling to find anybody in my country who’s even remotely interested with CFA or who knows about it. I’m positive I’m looking in the wrong places but this is the atmosphere I’m surrounded with considering my type of work.

        Edit: Some typos – Hope there isn’t anymore :blush: 

      • Avatar of googs1484googs1484
        Participant
          • CFA Level 3
          Up
          5
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          I came from hospitality after 5 years and stumbled upon a job at MassMutual. Heard about CFA and just went for it. I’m not very good at math or anything for that matter lol. BUT I passed level one. Studied a total of 605 hours for it and did very well.  I think literally anyone could do it if you put in the effort.  I’m ONLY speaking from level one experience though.  I’m studying for two now. For level one you should be fine with 2015 material.  Schweser notes are plenty to pass.

        • Avatar of googs1484googs1484
          Participant
            • CFA Level 3
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            5
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            @Zoubim , no need to even touch the institutes books for level one. 

          • Avatar of val_Steelval_Steel
            Participant
              • Undecided
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              3
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              @Zoubim hey,
              in a similar situation such as yours. Do you mind sharing that file you got off pirate bay? maybe though email.

            • Avatar of zoubimzoubim
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                googs1484 said:
                I came from hospitality after 5 years and stumbled upon a job at MassMutual. Heard about CFA and just went for it. I’m not very good at math or anything for that matter lol. BUT I passed level one. Studied a total of 605 hours for it and did very well.  I think literally anyone could do it if you put in the effort.  I’m ONLY speaking from level one experience though.  I’m studying for two now. For level one you should be fine with 2015 material.  Schweser notes are plenty to pass.

                Thanks for the advice mate. You didn’t even touch the original material? So far all I’ve heard is people with no similar background should reach out for and study from the CFA material curriculum as they cover everything from A to Z. Is this correct or?

              • Avatar of rsparksrsparks
                Participant
                  • CFA Level 2
                  Up
                  1
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                  Did you really mention downloading from pirate bay and you display a pirate profile pic lol!

                  yep, everything you need are in the study guides. The cfai material may be better if u don’t understand something from the 3rd party material, but you can also use YouTube. The way the cfai explains things are not the clearest and most efficient way to learn sometimes. Personally, I think the institute enjoys trying to mess with you. 

                  On the flipside, I’ve a degree in economics and I struggled with econ. There were differences in the way econ is taught at uni vs cfai…only slight differences. Sometimes it makes you hold onto your ways. So, don’t let prior experience get in your way of thinking it’s hard. You will find certain topics easier and harder. The best piece of advice is learning how to stay motivated. Explain to your friends and family you will not have time to see them and that you need their support since you have a lot of family commitments. If they are desperate to see u, do stuff during the week and plan around it. Time management is key as well.

                  Also, think about if I fail in June, ‘how will I feel’. What is my plan? I failed level 1 and it feels horrible reading that email and thinking about, here we go again. However, I’m quite tenacious and never give up that easy (I did a half marathon without training and didn’t stop). I told myself in the next exam, I’m gonna kick the <choice word> out of this exam and <choice word> to the cfai. So it can be more a mental battle and time management path to success as well.  

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