Just started as a FT analyst at a boutique in NYC. I passed L1 last December in my senior year of college. I have already paid and scheduled L2 for the end of Nov. I have been on and off studying since March but with the hours (~70) I am working now it will be a sacrifice of any time I would have to myself. Not sure if it is worth but at the same time I am already balls deep. Thoughts?
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Just my opinion but I don’t think it is going to add any value for you in banking. Even for PE you’d probably be better suited prepping for interviews than spending CFA level study time on the CFA.
Hi Wireless, your best bet here is to look ahead to what kind of career path/trajectory you are trying to take. From there, I would look at those who took the same path & evaluate if they got the charter etc what other steps they took. If you plan on staying at your bank post A2A or for a long time, I would straight up ask some of the seniors you feel comfortable with if it is beneficial or a waste of time.
CFA Holder, 1st year MBA IB Associate. It's a huge waste of time, unless you're in FIG there's no benefit of having a charter at all, even then the benefit is marginal. No one will bat an eye at a CFA charter in IB or PE, less than 2% of holders are even in that profession. If you want to do equity research in the future you can take the remaining levels after you pivot. L2, in my opinion, is 3/4 times as hard as L1. You're in your early 20s working a demanding job, the last thing you want is to give up 300+ hours of your free time, just enjoy yourself when you're off the clock.
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