CFA and Financial Engineering

So, a bit of background to begin. I'm currently in my final year of undergrad, studying for a general business degree. My school is ranked 258th in the world by QS rankings.

Also, to increase my odds of breaking into finance, I passed CFA level 1 before starting my final year. 

So far, I have not had much success applying for jobs. I did an internship in audit, big 4, (before I realised I was interested in finance) and got an offer. I also have an interview this week for a role as a finance engineer. The company serves many tier-one banks as clients, which would be great. However, the glassdoor reviews for the job are poor, with many saying that you have no choice over which client that you may be working for, and that much of the work is menial.

My question is, is a Finance engineer a good starting place for someone who wishes to continue my CFA journey? Personally, I feel as though the exposure to technology will help progress my career further. But I have concerns that I'll be landed with clients that I do not have much interest in. Maybe the job at the big 4 in the audit would be a better starting place? Or am I dumb to take either job and should I keep pursuing something more in line with the CFA curriculum? 

Many thanks in advance for your help!

7 Comments
 

To be honest, I never had my eyes set on anything specific. At the start of the pandemic I found myself reading countless personal investing/stock analysis books. Meanwhile I hated audit. So I registered for the CFA and I loved studying for it.

So far I’ve been applying for as many jobs as I can. From valuations, SaT, equity research, asset management. The finance engineer interview is the most ‘finance’ offer that I’ve received so far

 

The CFA is good for people looking to be portfolio managers or work in equity research. I am not sure about other careers it’s useful for. I don’t think it will help much in investment banking.

 

Molestias id quo odio et vel quaerat libero. Tempore vel fuga sunt quaerat occaecati id. Est ipsam mollitia ut autem voluptatem totam accusamus et. Labore ad quidem rerum ex.

Consequuntur ipsa impedit distinctio fugit totam ullam repudiandae. Odit similique sunt ducimus quia odio quidem dolores. Magnam dolor consequatur veniam commodi explicabo molestiae. Enim aliquam id aut et accusantium est et.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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

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...”