CFA Useful for Quant Fund?
I am heading into a Quant Hedge fund. Would it be at all useful to take CFA exams? I have started studying but not yet registered, just wondered if it will get any respect in the industry.
To your specific question - no, it won't be of much practical use in the role you are headed into and probably wouldn't be for the first couple years. There may be some elements of it that end up creeping in - but nothing you wouldn't be able to pick up quickly, look up online or find without going through the curriculum.
To the more existential question of 'is it worth it for you' - My advice to you is to think about your career and look at some of the various positions, paths and most importantly firms that you may want to work for and see whether it's listed as a qualification, people there already have it, etc. That will tell you the applicability. I've seen plenty of really smart people in roles that should require a CFA not have it - and vice versa. You don't need to make the decision today, and frankly i wouldn't sit for it until you have a year or so under your belt at your current role. You could pass all three levels in the next year and a half and you still couldn't be a CFA for a few more years since you have a work requirement.
Long story short - focus on maximizing your skills for your upcoming role, evaluate your career once you get into that and then you can make an informed decision about whether you should get it or not.