@clwcain
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Up5
Returned in a Google search for CFA. Read some of the publicly available posts and decided this looked like a community I’d like to be a join.
Up5I certainly wouldn’t show up to the exam dressed that way. :-O
Up5@Marc
Thank you. Please take your time. I’m well aware of how busy you must be. I am not a lawyer…I just went to law school, briefly, a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.My wife and I have been discussing this at length for several weeks and will continue to do so. I look forward to your thoughts, and your wife’s, when you have time to share them.
Up5As I look to spread my prep time over a year these posts are very helpful. Thank you.
Up5So the material covered is pretty stable. Is it a matter of emphasis that changes rather than core material?
Up5From where I sit, operational experience is always preferable to generalized consulting. It also sounds like the MS opportunity might give you some good concrete examples of your contribution when it comes time for you to do your next jump.
Up4Top hat. But, as a child, my preference was battleship. 😀
Up4I’ve left three graduate programs unfinished. All of those were >10 years ago and I cycled through them in the space of 3 years.
I’ve been able to parlay a liberal arts undergrad into a very solid career in FP&A and, from there, a technical position in healthcare IT. In every interview, even within the last few years, I still have to deal with questions that, had I been more focused and less lazy in my 20s, wouldn’t come up at all.
I created weaknesses that, barring an expensive tour of duty through an MBA program and/or a serious credential like the CFA, are both unnecessary and difficult to overcome.
Up4Good luck and Godspeed!
Tanti auguri!Up4Okay. According to their Work Experience Assessment widget my experience is “VER…”. Since it isn’t “NOT” (pardon the double-negative) it’s probably worth talking to some of the CFAs I know IRL about the local chapter, etc. and beginning the prep cycle for L1 in 2014.
Up4Even with all these time constraints, I could see a few people leaving 30 mins earlier in the afternoon session.
I freaked out classmates in law school when I got up and left the room early. They assumed, due to my classroom performance, that I “aced” the exams. Fact was, I was lost…so I doodled in my blue book until a half an hour before the exam ended and then handed it in.
It was great for psychological warfare…but my grade for that subject reflected my submission.
On a different exam, I was last submitted…and highest score, according to my professor, that he’d seen in the preceding 10 years. And that was one I was really down about because I was the last to submit my blue book.
So, speaking from personal experience, although in an admittedly different realm, don’t let the “early exits” concern you. Some of them may have simply been throwing in the towel after giving it a good effort.
Up4I expect the “hardest” part will turn out to be whatever you are personally weakest at: for some Quants, for other FRA, etc.
I’m planning to just sit down and go through it, determine my weak spots, and go from there.I’ve been in a completely different industry in a non-finance role for nearly 4 years so I’m curious to see what turns out to be like riding a bicycle and what I need to learn or relearn.
Up4Very helpful. Thank you.
Up4I find the idea fascinating although I’d imagine there are regulatory hurdles to clear before something like that could be offered. I’m certainly open to exploring this further.
Up4Sorry I haven’t replied on the interview form, yet. Minor disaster at home involving flooding, etc. has upended things for a bit. Will write soon, though. 😀
Up4Different parts of the world do place different emphasis on credentials. In the United States most job descriptions require a Bachelors or Masters degree in Accounting or Finance for financial analyst-type positions. I have neither. I have a BA, but not in Accounting, Finance, Stats, or anything similar.
Despite this “requirement” I have found some employers who really don’t care. This is also where a network comes into play. If someone a prospective employer trusts can and will vouch for you, that can overcome a multitude of deficiencies on a resume.
I won’t go so far as to say anyone really can do anything they want so long as they have rudimentary skills and a good network. But I know plenty of people who fill out all the “requirements” tick marks on the HR sheet and still have trouble landing (or performing) the work in question.
Assess your opportunity cost in light of your goals. If a Masters makes sense as part of the plan, go for it. If it doesn’t, don’t lose sleep. Play the hand you’re dealt as well as you can.