Motivation for the Charter

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FearofFailure

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Level 1: I approached the material with enthusiasm, really wanted to learn the material, so I could break into finance. Studied really hard for 5 months whilst working full time as a Treasury Analyst. Pass first attempt (probably over studied). December 2008.
Level 2: The challenge of completing Level II directly after level I in December 2008 got me motivated. In the last 3 weeks before the exam when I should have been smashing the books, I wasn’t focused, chained myself to the desk (metaphorically) and scaped through the exam with a pass. June 2009.
Level 3: Studied hard for most of February am tracking to plan, but have seriously lost interest in the last couple of weeks. I feel like L3 is the just all the same concepts restated in a differerent form/strategy and I’m finding it boring.
I think I need a holiday…
Is anyone else in a similar situation? Anyone have any constructive advice?
 
Yeah, Saturday I was thinking to myself, “why the hell am I doing this?”
Level three material really is like a qualitative summary of the first two levels…I feel like within the readings every idea is repeated multiple times as well (e.g. emerging markets)…
 
Come on, guys! You have been through this before. You are experiencing the mid-term bump. Just do your best to put yourselves together!
In my case, I am finding that the essay format forces you to dig much deeper into the concepts than the “I choose B because A is wrong and I have never heard about C” approach to taking the exam.
Best of luck to all of you! Don’t falter!
 
This happens to marathon runners. Middle of the race is the hardest.
Just clamp down and hold on for now. As you approach the finish the motivation will return.
 
This happened to me last year. Just think, you do not want to be doing this again next year. Keep grinding away!
Best of luck!
 
mpnoonan Wrote:
——————————————————-
> This happened to me last year. Just think, you do
> not want to be doing this again next year. Keep
> grinding away!
>
> Best of luck!
Good point!
 
artvandalay Wrote:
——————————————————-
>I feel like within the readings every idea is repeated
> multiple times as well (e.g. emerging markets)…
yeah what the hell is up with this btw? studying for L3 feels like talking to the guy who tells you the same story 6 times and doesn’t remember he’s told it to you before so he always sounds like he’s telling it for the first time and you’re thinking “wtf is wrong with you”
like btw, just in case you’re the one person on earth who got thru level 1 and 2 without knowing what a sharpe ratio is, we’ll tell you what it is about 17 different times in L3 !!!
 
I definitely feel I am less motivated to study at this point.
When I was prearing for L1, I was still in college and I really bought into the idea of “this thing will change your life.” I was still fresh to finance and eager to get my charter.
L2 was much challenging than L1 and that kept me on track. The challenge kept me motivated. I was going hard for 6 months and I honestly dont remember I studied that much, EVER.
Now 2 years later at L3, I am starting to feel burned out. The excitement of getting that CFA charter is not there and I honestly start to question whether this is all worth it.
Need to stay positive, I know.
 
$tarving_Banker Wrote:
——————————————————-
> I definitely feel I am less motivated to study at
> this point.
>
> When I was prearing for L1, I was still in college
> and I really bought into the idea of “this thing
> will change your life.” I was still fresh to
> finance and eager to get my charter.
>
> L2 was much challenging than L1 and that kept me
> on track. The challenge kept me motivated. I was
> going hard for 6 months and I honestly dont
> remember I studied that much, EVER.
>
> Now 2 years later at L3, I am starting to feel
> burned out. The excitement of getting that CFA
> charter is not there and I honestly start to
> question whether this is all worth it.
>
> Need to stay positive, I know.
I hear ya
 
dpcfa Wrote:
——————————————————-
> artvandalay Wrote:
> ————————————————–
> —–
> >I feel like within the readings every idea is
> repeated
> > multiple times as well (e.g. emerging
> markets)…
>
>
> yeah what the hell is up with this btw? studying
> for L3 feels like talking to the guy who tells you
> the same story 6 times and doesn’t remember he’s
> told it to you before so he always sounds like
> he’s telling it for the first time and you’re
> thinking “wtf is wrong with you”
Hey, I work with that guy! How do you know him?
 
Definitely alot less motivated… surprisingly I really like the material much more than the 1st two books… (I’m about half way done). It’s nice to have to use your brain a little bit this time around.
 
FearofFailure Wrote:
——————————————————-
> Level 1: I approached the material with
> enthusiasm, really wanted to learn the material,
> so I could break into finance. Studied really hard
> for 5 months whilst working full time as a
> Treasury Analyst. Pass first attempt (probably
> over studied). December 2008.
>
> Level 2: The challenge of completing Level II
> directly after level I in December 2008 got me
> motivated. In the last 3 weeks before the exam
> when I should have been smashing the books, I
> wasn’t focused, chained myself to the desk
> (metaphorically) and scaped through the exam with
> a pass. June 2009.
>
> Level 3: Studied hard for most of February am
> tracking to plan, but have seriously lost interest
> in the last couple of weeks. I feel like L3 is the
> just all the same concepts restated in a
> differerent form/strategy and I’m finding it
> boring.
>
> I think I need a holiday…
>
> Is anyone else in a similar situation? Anyone have
> any constructive advice?
You nailed it bro. I was 500% motivated for L1, 700% motivated for L2 (failed), 50% motivated for L2 (pass), -500% motivated for L3.
Talk about Bell curve and normal standard deviation curves on my motivation graph. Fat tails and ugly swings - welcome to LeptoKurtosVille.
I don’t feel like studying even if somebody paid me $100 to study after work for 2 hours every day. Really, no jokes, I mean it. I am that ridiculously demotivated.
 
Just in case you missed the “-500% motivated” for L3 in my proir post due to formatting. Yea!
 
dpcfa Wrote:
——————————————————-
> artvandalay Wrote:
> ————————————————–
> —–
> >I feel like within the readings every idea is
> repeated
> > multiple times as well (e.g. emerging
> markets)…
>
>
> yeah what the hell is up with this btw? studying
> for L3 feels like talking to the guy who tells you
> the same story 6 times and doesn’t remember he’s
> told it to you before so he always sounds like
> he’s telling it for the first time and you’re
> thinking “wtf is wrong with you”
>
> like btw, just in case you’re the one person on
> earth who got thru level 1 and 2 without knowing
> what a sharpe ratio is, we’ll tell you what it is
> about 17 different times in L3 !!!
haha, this is fantastic. do we really need to go over the DDM in econ?
 
dspapo Wrote:
——————————————————-
> dpcfa Wrote:
> ————————————————–
> —–
> > artvandalay Wrote:
> >
> ————————————————–
>
> > —–
> > >I feel like within the readings every idea is
> > repeated
> > > multiple times as well (e.g. emerging
> > markets)…
> >
> >
> > yeah what the hell is up with this btw?
> studying
> > for L3 feels like talking to the guy who tells
> you
> > the same story 6 times and doesn’t remember
> he’s
> > told it to you before so he always sounds like
> > he’s telling it for the first time and you’re
> > thinking “wtf is wrong with you”
> >
> > like btw, just in case you’re the one person on
> > earth who got thru level 1 and 2 without
> knowing
> > what a sharpe ratio is, we’ll tell you what it
> is
> > about 17 different times in L3 !!!
>
>
> haha, this is fantastic. do we really need to go
> over the DDM in econ?
LOL, I needed some humor back on this site, studying for L3
is getting to me. I have a feeling I am really underestimating
how hard this exam is going to be….
 
It’s called burnout.
Take a few days off and then hit the books again.
 
well… i took 6 weeks off… still can’t get motivated (and I had only studied for a couple weeks before my big break)!!!
Definitely burnt out tho… probably gonna be a 6 week cram session for me!
 
mwvt9 Wrote:
——————————————————-
> This happens to marathon runners. Middle of the
> race is the hardest.
>
> Just clamp down and hold on for now. As you
> approach the finish the motivation will return.
Do you mean like an interest or equity swap, where the potential of credit risk is greatest in the middle? ;) Sorry bad joke, but also feeling hard to concentrate so thought I’d join in the motivation rally.
 
I was in your boat in the end of February (when i finished reading books). But then i took some tests in Qbank and ethics cases, found out that i don’t know anything at all. So its keeping me motivated now. Don’t know for how long.
 
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