Is the CFA Charter a waste of your time and money?
by Sarah Butcher 1 December 2016
http://news.efinancialcareers.com/au-en/244158/is-the-cfa-charter-worth-it/
It takes 900 hours (at least) and will cost you dear in lost social and family time, but will getting a CFA Charter really make a difference to your finance career? Not necessarily. We spoke to a selection of finance professionals who’ve slogged their way through it, and they’re not all enthusiasts.
The leveraged finance professional: “I don’t regret it, but it wasn’t worth it”
“Gaining the Charter wasn’t easy. I became a Charterholder seven yeas ago after passing every level the first time. I was working full-time whilst taking the qualifications and wasn’t sponsored by my employer. I studied long hours, both at the weekends and before and after work. I was lucky though – I know people who paid for expensive evening classes and had to take each level twice!
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The risk manager: “Getting the Charter was a slog and it hasn’t enabled the career change I’d hoped for”
“Having the CFA Charter is definitely an advantage: it adds credibility and is a signal of competence. However, I was hoping to use the charter to move into asset management and so far that hasn’t worked out. I feel like that Charter will only enable this move if I combine it with heavy networking and intense job hunting, which is hard when I’m holding down a full-time job.
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The fixed income portfolio manager and CFA Level 1 teacher: “The CFA Charter was very worthwhile and makes you stand out in the job market”
“The CFA Charter isn’t just about acquiring Masters level knowledge by studying for the CFA exams. It’s also about attending events which increase your understanding of financial markets in the broadest sense, networking, and becoming more attractive to employers because of your proven experience and obvious interest in finance.
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