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CFA vs MBA??
- Thread starter jack5
- Start date
Quote from Hello_Dollars:
Come on, Blue. I'll admit I'm biased, but a CFA is an MBA-lite. VERY lite. After all, anyone can just sign up and take the CFA with maybe a month of cramming before each of the 3 levels. A top MBA, on the other hand, requires that you first get in, and then that you devote too many to remember hours per week for 2 years straight (or 4 or more if done part-time while working), competency in multiple disciplines (including finance), and, worst of all for the misanthropes among us, endless team projects. It's an entirely different level of commitment, among other things, and those in the know understand the difference. Still, having both as you do, is certainly an extra feather in the cap.
I think his point was that 90% of all that effort, albeit strenuous and time-consuming, is pointless - except in allowing employers to screen out based on who could persevere through it. Toss away the unneeded team projects, the bla bla bla of marketing, HR management and the like, leave some core quant prep of finance etc, and you'll be very close to a CFA.
Quote from vladiator:
I think his point was that 90% of all that effort, albeit strenuous and time-consuming, is pointless - except in allowing employers to screen out based on who could persevere through it. Toss away the unneeded team projects, the bla bla bla of marketing, HR management and the like, leave some core quant prep of finance etc, and you'll be very close to a CFA.
Two big things many people have missed here: First, the CFA has come to be regarded as a sort of Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval regarding ethics. This is because a Chartered Financial Analyst must attest each year that they have not been disciplined by any regulatory body, etc. Also, rules on ethical conduct are codified and hammered away throughout the curriculum. Charter Holder's can and do have their Charters revoked due to transgressions. It goes without saying that employers value this aspect quite highly.
Second, in a number of markets, particularly the emerging markets where I roam, the CFA is a recognized professional certification that is often required for employment in the local finance industry. If I am contemplating employment in Hong Kong, Taiwan, or Thailand for example, the CFA is a perfect catch-all certification that satisfies the regulatory authorities in each of these jurisdictions.
One won't get these benefits from an MBA.