CFA Level 1: Feeling Insecure/Burnout

Might just be a human thing feeling comfort in knowing someone else went through the same shit as you are.

I just feel that every time I add knwoledge whilst studying for the CFA I push something else out. Did anybody else have this feeling?

Plus, I feel kind of a burnout about finance. I usually like to read finance books/browse through finance pages/read the news or journals but after working plus studying I just feel like I want to focus on anything non-finance related. Once again, anybody felt this way?

Before you say it: yes I'm a bit bitchy today but well, we all have those days.

8 Comments
 
Most Helpful

I completely prepped for taking the CFA for this June (lvl 1), then it got delayed. I feel what you are going through. It's tough. But I think you just need to keep in your mind why you are going through this rigorous process to begin with.

Everyone even close to finance/accounting knows how insane going through all 3 levels of the CFA is- it blows the CPA, CFP, and pretty much everything else out of the water in terms of difficulty/amount of study hours required. The designation makes you a beast, and highly respected in the finance/accounting/business world.

Does it lead to a handout in the job market? No- obviously not, but that stands for the CPA, a MsF, an MBA from Stanford- you name it- if you don't have the guts to get the job yourself you won't cut it.

In the end, having a CFA will make you stand-out in essentially every corner of the finance world (of course it's more useful in some than others- like AM and HFs as opposed to IB). There are a lot of naysayers (much more than for other professional certifications), but I know this has to do with the ridiculous difficulty of completing these exams while working a full-time job,

Work hard man, you will get through it, and I bet you and I will be very happy when we reach the end of this long journey we are attempting to embark on. Haha I know this all may sound funny, but I know we all need a little optimism every once and a while- keep grinding man :)

 

can confirm. spoke with 2 PE directors recently and none of them cared I passed L1 as undergrad. Its all about deal experience.

made new unrelated account - dont reply or message as i never use it. 
 

Dude, there are only two possible feelings when you walk out of the exam room (other than exhausted) : Either knowing you failed, or having no clue if you passed or not.

I got 70%+ in every category on Level 1, and I had no clue if I even passed when I walked out. The exams are known as a beast for a reason.

The only difference between Asset Management and Investment Research is assets. I generally see somebody I know on TV on Bloomberg/CNBC etc. once or twice a week. This sounds cool, until I remind myself that I see somebody I know on ESPN five days a week.
 

Eveniet debitis est reprehenderit quis ut atque. Dolor est eius autem. Maxime non ut repellat. Aut repellendus dolores odio culpa asperiores ipsam. Ipsam qui incidunt molestias nam.

Nihil nostrum qui mollitia repudiandae. Eveniet distinctio natus aut temporibus. Unde non nobis cum ut facilis quis ut quia.

Eaque labore sit saepe iusto nemo harum temporibus mollitia. Numquam non aut pariatur omnis.

Est modi similique maiores cumque. Aut dolor accusamus eius culpa. Quasi iste maiores culpa reiciendis totam. Similique blanditiis reprehenderit est.

made new unrelated account - dont reply or message as i never use it. 
 

Doloribus consequatur molestias maiores similique nam. Est iusto velit incidunt architecto. Nisi ea sequi voluptate modi nesciunt aliquid minus placeat. Officiis minima doloremque quasi molestiae.

Suscipit quia reiciendis occaecati est totam perferendis. Est voluptatem aut rerum facilis. Illo et occaecati dolorum tenetur perferendis omnis ipsam.

Inventore voluptates provident cumque consectetur autem neque quia. Architecto laudantium modi aut quasi ut quam eum.

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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
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...”