MBA after getting the CFA® and CPA??
Hi
I graduated from a non-target school with a 3.5 GPA last summer. Because of the job market, I haven't been able to get a job. Therefore, I took accounting classes at a local community college and am preparing to sit for the CPA exam. I passed the BEC section and should pass all 4 sections by the end of this year. I took the CFA®
level 1 exam last year and will sit for level 2 this summer.
here is my question. Should I still go for a MBA? I ideally will have the CFA®
and CPA exams done by next year. What is the value of a MBA? I think the main problem for me is that my undergrad school wasn't particularly well connected.
My goal is to work at an Asset Management firm before I get enough experience to move up. T Rowe Price or Legg Mason would be my targets as I live around Maryland area.
Thank you for your suggestion.
Here is the thing. CPA and CFA have work requirements so you while you will have the tests passed you will still need to have some work experience. I think an MBA is great for people looking to re-brand, network, break into another career, etc. CFA & CPA are great things to have. I would find out what schools really place well in the field you want and focus on getting into that school(s).
You might want to look at smaller shops where you can get that experience and then maybe work your way into your ideal firm. In that case you might not need to get an MBA at all.
First of all, congrats on passing the parts that you already took!
That being said, I don't think you should worry about getting an MBA at this point. Find a job you like first, and then see where it takes you. If anything, you can always think more about after you've been on the job for a year. You can assess whether (1) getting an MBA at that (or a later point) would help you move up the organization, and (2) whether you want to switch your careers.
Just my 2 cents.
Congrats! An MBA is more networking than anything. I don't think you need to go back and get this when you will have CFA and CPA. These are more than desirable qualities in AM. Continue to chat/email with anyone you can to get that work experience to use these designations. It's 48 months for the CFA so like Toblerone said, get out there at a job, get your hands wet, and see how you like it.
I would get a job doing back/middle office work and finish the CFA and then look to transition, CFA shows your comitted and for asset management, a MBA isn't as useful as it was a few years ago, I have talked with a lot of people at GS in S&T and in GSAM and they say the same thing, CFA is becoming more useful in anything related to trading or asset management versus a MBA (MBA is more useful for banking and PE)
Hi
Thank you very much for your comments. MBA seems to be for people who have some work experience and look to switch career. My goal is definitely asset management eventually. I guess it probably depends on what type of job I ll get once I start job searching (I want to focus on CFA level 2 and CPA first). If I am stuck doing tax accounting or auditing for a few years and can't break into asset management, then I will think about a MBA. If I am specifically looking to get into value investing, which MBA program should i look into?
thanks
I think you should be able to break into AM with the credentials you are looking to acquire. If you are looking at higher education, consider a MSF/MFIN program.
Also, I think your auditing experience + CPA qualification will work for you, since you'll be able to pour over the financial statements, and be able to distinguish real earnings vs accounting earnings, and the auditing experience may help you understand how some companies work better. Good luck and keep us posted!
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