Planning to move to Canada...advise please on education and job
I am in the process of moving to Canada (from a developing country). I am a CFA charterholder and I have years of experience in project finance, business valuation, private placement etc. in a local boutique advisory. I keep reading that breaking into Canadian banking is extremely tough. Then, it is even tougher to survive the demanding hours. What should be the initial steps for me? I am open to many options as I know I will be very much starting from scratch there. Should I pursue MBA? Do CSC CPH courses from CSI help? Should I get any remotely field related job I can get my hands on (customer service rep, mutual funds rep, admin)? Should I take some new direction completely (start my own biz, accountant)?
I need major guidelines. Do let me know about any career counselors, recruiters, even bankers who can help me decide on my course of action there.
Can you elaborate a bit more on which area of the world you're from? if you're a cfa holder, i wouldn't recommend csc/cph tbh. maybe consider mba options though. Why Canada though/What are your career goals?
Well, I am in the middle east as an expat. Living in these countries is temporary so now being in my 30s, I would like to immigrate to a place where I can live permanently or at least on a long-term. Why Canada? Canada has made immigration easy, I have some relatives there and my spouse has Canadian undergrad degree.
As far as career goals go, I am definitely more of a finance & investment person rather than an accounts person. As I mentioned I am open to career goals adjustment.
I mentioned CSC and CPH because every reasonable finance & investment job add I look at has these certificates as a requirement.
What part of Canada are you considering, what part of the middle east are you from?
Trying to break in to a front office or finance/investment role is already hard enough, and will be even more as an immigrant/work experience abroad in the ME. From the employer's POV they'd be asking themselves why hire someone from abroad when they can hire someone with direct Canadian experience - this isn't meant to be discouraging but the simple truth.
You'll have to leverage any network you might have - you mentioned you have relatives in Canada, you should reach out to them and see whether they've got a contacts in the field that they can put you in touch with... your spouse might have connections through her university's alumni that may still be in Canada.
I'd also strongly look into an MBA, which will allow you to build a network here, and help you get your foot in the door at a reputable firm. I wouldn't recommend CSC/CPH either, since you already have your CFA. I wouldn't recommend starting in customer service or any of that, given the experience you already have.
I am looking forward to settle in GTA.
MBA is certainly a logical step but it is time consuming and crazy expensive. Not an easy decision to make. Although my plan is to come with savings but I don't think I will be able to afford a full-tima MBA.
How about something like FP&A are those hard to break into too? Do financial analysts job in corporate finance world have crazy hours too? I guess CPA is mandatory in such roles which I don't have.
After a lot of thinking and talking to one of Rotman's professor, I am convinced that I would need a local degree for the long-term especially as a new immigrant. I am leaning towards MBA with a focus on strategy as I already have solid finance knowledge through CFA.
Now comes the age factor, I will be 34 by the time I start MBA. And I am considering either executive MBA or part-time MBA because I would want to be open to any reasonable job offer I can get. So by the time I am done I will be 35 (executive) or 38 (part-time MBA). I am wondering whether companies especially good ones at all hire someone in mid-30s at junior positions. Will it be worth it? :(
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