Will CFA® Level 1 help me break into the analyst world
A little background I am currently graduating this spring(2018) with my Bachelors in Finance. I go to a private school in Rochester, it's obviously not a top tier school but does hold the AACSB accreditation for its business school. During my undergrad I played football for my school and doubled up on classes in order to graduate a year early(3.3gpa, 3.6 major GPA). I also plan to stay another year and finish the accelerated MBA (Management Major) program I have been simultaneously been working on, which I plan to graduate with in the summer of next year(2019). I recently have done in internship for a mutual company doing financial planning. This internship was more relation based than it was analytical. That being said my passion and drive in finance is for the investment part. I have been researching and found the most traditional route I could take would be Investment bank analyst--> to then transition to buy side like hedge firms. My plan at the moment though is to take my level 1 CFA®in December, get an investment banking internship in the spring, graduate with my MBA next summer, and then hopefully transition to a full time analyst position. My question is, although the CFA® is not essential to investment banking will it help me break into the industry as an analyst where I can work my way up from there? Thanks again for any comments, thoughts or suggestions!
CFA level I will help modestly since it demonstrates commitment and a basic level of finance and accounting understanding. However consider the opportunity cost of 200-300 hours and ask if time could be better spent elsewhere ie networking, and working on financial modeling skills (BIWS and WSO have solid online programs).
I'd also advise against pursuing an MBA this early. It's best used as a reset or launching pad after 3-5 years experience when you have a clearer understanding of your career trajectory. You would be blowing your load too early, and the MBA degree by itself doesn't signify any capability for being an Analyst.
If you're set on pursuing a graduate degree, look into MFin programs, not sure of the timing at this point but something to consider.
Hope this helps.
would definitely agree with this
the cfa is helpful as it shows you have the commitment and focus required in ib, but may not be the best use of your time
i would not use my mba card quite yet as you should keep it in case you need a reset in the future. a msc in finance will probably give you the best shot at re recruiting for an analyst role.
network, practice your interviewing skills, working through financial modelling guides to gain more context on technicals is the way to go for you
i would also consider finding any job in finance for now (AM, ER, corp dev, pwm, treasury, risk) and building up some work experience before trying to lateral, assuming you cannot get an analyst role at the moment
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