Should I undertake a financial modeling course in my free time or learning how to code would be a lot better?

I work in business intelligence for a large retail firm (GAP). I have an undergrad in finance from Bocconi and have also been pursuing an online masters in data management from UIUC. However I am confused about my future and don't know what to invest my time on. Should I take up a financial modeling course like the one offered by the CFI institute or Wall Street prep or should I focus my efforts on getting skills related to business analytics which can directly be used at my work? I was thinking about doing the CFA because in my asian country every commerce undergrad I know has completed the level 1 atleast but I have no inclination towards asset management. Additionally I also plan on moving to Canada soon and was taken aback by how many entry level roles require you to atleast have the CFA level 2 or the CPA. This wasn't the case back in Europe where a target undergrad was enough. What am I missing with the Canadian job market

Also, what do you guys think are the most valuable skills, certificates, etc that can be applied in a variety of professions? My main motive to do a financial modeling course is that I enjoy corporate finance.

1 Comments
 

Animi dolores ut non. Voluptatum et a placeat consequuntur. Numquam distinctio qui officiis debitis eius. Aut ut possimus neque et. Qui iste dolores totam et dolorum ut tempora. Dolorum neque praesentium non et odit.

Deserunt corporis ut non vel dolores. Quod sit iusto consequuntur et quae esse culpa. Rerum nihil molestias porro omnis. Culpa voluptas veritatis quo amet. Quo voluptatem id magnam qui sint officiis vel.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”