Best Use of Time Outside of Office to Further Grow Career & Skills?
Hello all. I'll soon be working as an analyst at a PE firm with light hours compared to banking (getting off most days between 6pm-8pm, the occasional 10pm/midnight nights).
While I'll aim to be as busy as I can at work, I'm curious on what would be a best use of time when outside the office for several hours each night, both towards accreditation and education for my career. I've considered sitting for a CFA and using my free time to study, but there's also the question of how useful a CFA is strictly within an IB/PE career.
Any thoughts/suggestions from others that have been in similar spots would be much appreciated.
First, like you pointed out, every banker and principal I have talked to - except two associates in Canada - say CFA is totally unnecessary and even advise against wasting the time for IB/PE.
Second, I would recommend going to evening networking events. While I am a masters of finance student and not a professional yet, evening networking opportunities - like galas and fundraisers - have been the single best thing in getting amazing opportunities for me. Came from a piror engineering background with very little exposure to finance and had chances to meet senior bankers, asset managers, and principals. Learnt about and got interested in IB for the first time from a global head at a BB, got a PE internship at a MM shop in NY - which did not come to fruition due to visa timeline after clearing all rounds, etc.
I believe you will learn a lot from your job itself and if you are not planning to change industries, I believe meeting people and going to events where senior decision makers meet - and get drunk - will give you an unbelievable edge in the long-run.
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