Doubled majored in accounting and finance and decided to start my career in public accounting upon graduating in 2011. Obtained CPA license during my 20 months in public accounting and switched careers to work at an investment management firm as a senior investment accountant where I’ve been for the last 16 months. Working towards the CFA designation with the hope of meeting more investment focused folks and opening opportunities in mid- to front-office roles, with equity analsyis and research being what interests me most.
As far as the CPA and CFA - if you’re really interested in investments, the CPA and then CFA route makes sense and is very beneficial. The CPA license isn’t necessary, though, if you already have the CFA designation. There is a lot of crossover between CPA and CFA in the Financial Reporting & Analysis sections of the curriculum. I don’t think CFA and then CPA makes much sense though. Different routes for different people.