Which certifications are worth getting while studying MSF
I will be enrolled in WUSTL's MSF quant track for the next year and half, and I am thinking about getting as many certifications as possible while at school. Considering the limited time I can allocate toward studying for the exams, I am just carious as to which of the following certifications are worth getting if the objective is to obtain an financial analyst position upon graduation?
The first 3 are the ones I think that are really worth it:
1. CFA
Well I considered this one as mandatory.
2. FRM
3. CAIA (Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst)
I'm not so sure about these:
4. CMT (Certified Market Technician)
This seems to be for someone aiming for a trader position instead of a analyst?
5. CFP (Certified Financial Planner)
Again not needed for an analyst?
6. CMA(Certified Management Accountant)
Is this one for people aiming for managerial positions?
And then there are these 2 that seems to overlap with the CFA
7. CIIA
This is said to to be the European version of CFA.
8. LIFA
Investopedia claims that LIFA(Lv3) > MBA + CFA + CFP, but then there are other people saying this one is too low profile and not worth it.
Lastly I would to ask, what are some good excel certifications?
I know there's the Microsoft Office Specialist, and there's another one from Bloomberg, but these seem a bit elementary as I actually can write a bit VBA code. Are there any higher level excel certifications out there?
I know that's a lot of questions. I greatly appreciate anyone who can shine some light on this topic.
CFA and learn a programming language if you want to be a quant.
No need to collect them all.
INB4 A Blastoise pokemon joke.
If you're trying to be a quant, then really none of these would help you as much as a programming language would. Bloomberg BDP, BDH, BDS functions are good to know, but honestly of all of those listed above I guess the CMT seems most relevant.
CFA Charter hands down
Please don't be one of those certification hoarders...if you want one, go for the CFA.
Agree with previous posts that a programming language (C++, C#) is critical if you want to become a serious quant. Some DB experience (SQL) is also useful in terms of manipulating huge data effectively.
CFA: good as a general investment management designation, but not strictly that useful for a pure quant role FRM: moderately regarded for some risk-based quant roles at the margin. PRM is an equivalent and actually more highly rated by some of the elite quant shops
The others are a waste of time and money imho, especially for a quant career trajectory.
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