Cfa

[goleafsgo1]

Any CFA's in this forum? I have an engineering background with no finance experience but now I want to switch my career path. How hard will it be to do CFA for a computer engineering major with good grades from engineering?

[controlyar]

Does every engineer wish to pursue finance?
I guess they realize that engineering positions do not have much opportunity.

I thought you just recently graduated?
What makes you want to switch already?
Why finance? Which segment of finance?

With no academic background in finance, you will likely find the material to be very challenging. However, your undergrad will have prepared you for the discipline required for the scope of the program. Instead of trying to break the field with an engineering background, I would recommend sticking it out (who knows you may like it), gaining experience and applying to a top B-school with a finance concentration. This will lead to a solid job upon graduation. If you try to enter now, it will be grunt work and will likely give you less job satisfaction than you presently have.

[goleafsgo1]

lol..actually i graduated last year and have been workin in engineering field for lil over an year now. I also have previous internship experience.

I like finance for the money!

[flyinggonzo]

Any CFA's in this forum? I have an engineering background with no finance experience but now I want to switch my career path. How hard will it be to do CFA for a computer engineering major with good grades from engineering?

There's NOTHING conceptually difficult in the CFA program, but there's a lot of material to cover.

I'd say there's about 3 or 4 "engineering" courses within each level. Your own experience will guide you on how much time and effort it'll take to study that amount of material.

[Psychopath]

Any CFA's in this forum? I have an engineering background with no finance experience but now I want to switch my career path. How hard will it be to do CFA for a computer engineering major with good grades from engineering?

It's funny...... but historically, engineers do better then business undergrads when it comes to writing the CFA. So you should do fine Just buy the CFA prep book and just memorize the book inside and out. I think for level 1 it was recommended that you study 250hrs or so. I probably spent north of 400+ hrs but meh the exams are easy as pie. I personally thought level 1 was the hardest amongst the other two exams (level 2 and level 3) so if you can pass level 1 you are most likely to pass the other levels. Not to discourage you or anything though, but a CFA doesn't mean much anymore (in Toronto anyways) because there is such a huge saturation of CFA's that they're only really good for gaining entry level positions in financial firms. It'd be best to take this in conjunction with an MBA to really kick start your finance career.

[f00kie]

Does every engineer wish to pursue finance?
I guess they realize that engineering positions do not have much opportunity.

There actually seems to be quite a few engineers in finance already. It's a nice field.

A degree only teaches you how to learn more effectively (if you got good marks, yourself).

[xsighted]

Not to discourage you or anything though, but a CFA doesn't mean much anymore (in Toronto anyways)

+1 on that ... its come to a point where it has become expected of any potential candidate for finance related jobs to have a CFA, it doesnt add value anymore, merely a checkbox for those who flip through resumes.

[f00kie]

+1 on that ... its come to a point where it has become expected of any potential candidate for finance related jobs to have a CFA, it doesnt add value anymore, merely a checkbox for those who flip through resumes.

If it's a checkbox, then it adds value, does it not? If it's expected, you better make sure you have it, at least according to what you said?

[Thalo]

Toronto seems to be the opposite of Alberta. I hold a business degree but really wish I took engineering for the big bucks and all the job opportunities in the oilfield.

[xsighted]

If it's a checkbox, then it adds value, does it not? If it's expected, you better make sure you have it, at least according to what you said?

i should have said .. "extra value" instead of just value ... but ... for someone trying in the field .. they should make sure they are trying for it .. atleast in toronto ...