Hey lxwarr, i wouldn’t do it either. I also prefer working for a no-name hellhole (which I’m kinda doing right now) and do interesting work that will count towards my CFA rather than go for a good name in HR. Then again, if the pay is good and there’s opportunity for development and you don’t want to pursue the CFA later on, you can make a comfortable living, why not.
When I was desperatelylooking for jobs, I was offered a junior admin assistant at a hedge fund (duties included organizing the personal schedule of PMs, they even said there was growth opportunity…into what? full time nanny??) and I didn’t take it. Happy I didn’t. I’d have been miserable.
Also I don’t agree to a certain extent with the guys who say depends what you do. It depends how bad you need the money of course but I was working in retail (part-time) before I got this offer and I still didn’t take it. I’d rather say I was educating myself and progressing towards my cfa than be stuck in a position that will lead nowhere. Why don’t you try to freelance maybe as a financial analyst? Write some op-ed pieces on a blog for example and market that for a better job? And you can take a part-time job that maybe will cover your bills?
Good luck