CFA Level 1 in December 2017 or June 2018?
I'm a final year undergrad, and I'm looking to take the CFA to give myself a competitive edge to apply for Investment Management Graduate schemes in London. The exam will cost around £1400 for December, and is much cheaper for June. However, I will have my finals in June and I want to utilise the level 1 CFA pass as a way to show my commitment to a career in investment management and to try and secure some experience in the field.
My question is, should I pay for the exam in December, or will the fact that I'm studying for the CFA give me some leverage to apply for internships and grad schemes?
Thanks!
I don't think that simply studying for the exam is going to help you out too much when trying to land a job. Passing the first exam might help you stand out from other fresh graduates though. Even being a finance major, level one will require some hours. Using your time to focus on school and preparing for interviews would probably be more beneficial in my opinion, but if you're dead set on studying while you're in school, you might as well take it in June.
I was thinking along the lines that my degree is Ancient History, so decidedly non-financial, as I didn't consider long term career plans back then, and interviewers have asked before how I feel my degree makes me qualified for the internship, etc. when there are economics graduates also applying. Would the CFA not balance out my non-finance degree a bit?
Without a finance degree, the CFA program definitely is a good route if you are wanting to break into investment management. It is a very competitive field though. Having some research and a portfolio of stocks you've invested or at least have been tracking could help as well. Where I work, the majority of analysts have their CFA charters + top 20 MBA and several years in some kind of research role. I'm sure there are better places to get your feet wet right out of undergrad though.
Thank you! What would you suggest beyond networking and preparing for interviews/ finals at this stage? If not the CFA, what would be the best route now?
No problem. Besides that, maybe tackle the first level of the CFA if you feel that you've got the capacity with everything else going on, but I think you're on the right track. Best of luck to you
Thank you for your advice! I just wanted to confirm if I was thinking along the right lines or just wasting my time!
Level one isnt hard if you try. Just take it in december.
Take December... 3 full months should be enough to study for level 1. It all boils down to how many hours you can give in the next months. Given that you're from a non-finance major, you may have to put in more than the average 300 hours.
Worst case scenario for taking it in December would be failing, and being better poised to retake it in June.
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