|
|
| *Ostroff, Fair and Company>>>Financial Services |
What else is there besides the CFA? |
I'm an American undergraduate, and am already studying to take the CFA Level I next June. From everything that I've seen so far, the CFA is the ultimate professional certification for financial analysts. But I can't seem to find any other durable professional certification that compliments it. While I am currently interested primarily in Investment Management, the CFA seems like it's the only financial professional certification that is durable enough to be valuable in multiple career paths. Is there another professional certification that is perhaps a bit broader than the CFA, where the work experience that I expect to fulfill the CFA requirement would also count to the other certification? Thanks in advance. If you pass all three levels of the CFA and are awarded the designation, you won't need anything complimentary. The CFA by its nature is broad in scope. The CFA is regarded by many as the highest professional designation, and employers are aware of this. In fact, more and more employers are asking or requiring their employees to obtain this. Having said that, obtaining another professional designation primarily depends upon your ultimate goal. There are scores of professional designations available, but each is narrower in scope, and some more prestigious than others. I am a CFP professional, and many of my colleagues have an alphabet soup after their names. Some of those letters actually mean something, but others were just obtained through completing an application and paying a fee. However, your experience would definitely count towards obtaining these other designations. Also, you may want to go back to school for your MBA, but, assuming your undergrad is in finance, it may just be a waste of time. I think your problem is that you're looking the wrong way. You shouldn't be looking to broaden your skills. Rather, you should be looking to narrow them and become specialized in one field. This makes you a more attractive candidate to prospective employers. In any case, good luck with the CFA. It's not an easy exam, but as long as you're prepared, I'm sure you'll do just fine. I hate to say this, but you should have researched your career choice before making it. However, I think your choice is in the area of finance and you should be able to broaden your career moves as you move along in your career. Good luck to you on your exam and all of your future endeavors. It depends what career you're looking to enter. I've worked in asset management before and noticed many professionals have only the CFA. If you're looking for something else to compliment this, you want to get a MBA from a tier-1 business school (partial list): Stanford, Harvard, Wharton, or Columbia. After that, you're set for your career. There's nothing else you need. Just do well in your undergraduate program, take on campus leadership, and reach out to alums. Let alums know you're interested in the field before you apply to the firms directly. |
| Tags |
| Marketing & Sales Law & Legal Health Care Government & Non-Profit Food Service Financial Services Administrative and Office Support Other - Advertising & Marketing Search Engine Optimization |
Finance Categories--Copyright/IP Policy--Contact Webmaster |