Should I even bother?

So i'm slowly approaching my 1 year anniversary for the first year out of UG (A couple months short) and I'm looking for a new gig. I tried to break into S&T and ER last september through december and got very close (had a handful of informational interviews and a couple real ones) but had to cut my losses and move on.

Since then I've worked two jobs, one being with RBC DS and the other being an internet start up.

I pretty much know all the CFA 1 material inside out but didn't write it due to some family issues so i'm waiting for december.

So my question to all the veterans on the job market.... with my current situation and the current situation of the job market (specifically in CANADA ) should I even bother trying to break in again or is this just wishful thinking and wait until i punch out cfa1&2 or an MBA

Hit me up, some help/insight's highly appreciated WSO

7 Comments
 

It doesn't help that you've bounced off a couple of jobs in the interim, you should have stuck with one even if you didn't like it, not that this makes any difference now.

You can always try the b-school route. Find a decent job that you enjoy, work the shit out of it for 2-5 years and then apply. B-school admissions has a lot to do with what you do in your situation, doing extraordinary things in an ordinary job can definitely get you into a decent bschool.

I'm a student so I can't offer much other than that, best of luck man

"You stop being an asshole when it sucks to be you." -IlliniProgrammer "Your grammar made me wish I'd been aborted." -happypantsmcgee
 
1000TalentsI am curious about this as well. Does passing cfa levels I&II really carry that much weight?
No. Getting a CFA will RARELY if ever get you a job. People that should be doing the CFA are those that already know they should be doing it.
If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
 
Best Response
1000TalentsI am curious about this as well. Does passing cfa levels I&II really carry that much weight?

Plenty of charterholders are unemployed or are working dead-end jobs (that should say enough about level 2 and level 3 candidates). There is no real correlation, it's all about you and your efforts. Clearing levels I and II is just part of that overall effort and by no means guarantee or improve your chances. You can probably argue that the time spent on preparing for the CFA exams could be spent doing something else and would result in the same odds.

I'm sure a lot of people will disagree with me, but I always viewed the CFA charter as being something you would use to further your career once you're already working within the investment-related industry. I don't think the charter is that useful for breaking in or re-branding yourself for AM/HF/ER etc. Maybe having that "Cleared Level I" on your resume would give the impression that you at least posses the base level of knowledge, but that's probably about it..

Under my tutelage, you will grow from boys to men. From men into gladiators. And from gladiators into SWANSONS.
 

my undergrads sadly poli sci but i've taken a boatload of quantitative classes (econ, accounting, calc, etc).

I decided to enrol in the cfa to show some commitment and that i'm not just another liberal arts airhead.

BB's at this point are defiantly out of the question for someone in my shoes but should i even be attempting to gun down a spot at a boutique or am I wasting my time with my current state of affairs?

I know this times a pretty hot time to snag a spot as well but I need some opinions here am I shooting for the moon with my current circumstance or should I give it another go before I start shipping off some MBA apps next year

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Sure, you can always quit or you can grab some sack and keep networking.

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
 

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"You stop being an asshole when it sucks to be you." -IlliniProgrammer "Your grammar made me wish I'd been aborted." -happypantsmcgee

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