NorthWesterner
New member
- Jun 18, 2026
- 0
- 0
Hello Analyst Forum. I have a lot to ask so bear with me. In essence I’m trying to figure my career out and get a little more information about the CFA Program/how it could enhance my career options.
I’ll start off by describing where I’m at in life. I’m 23, Just graduated with a finance degree and a minor in economics from a school that was not engaging, or challenging. In any case I am not stupid, I like a challenge, and I like to work hard on things especially if they are engaging. Suffice to say, I had a pretty poor GPA, (3.1 in my major *looks at floor*) that I have nobody to blame but myself for. I’m not in denial about that facts, nor am I blaming others for my shortcomings.
In my final quarter of college I took two great finance classes (portfolio management, and a cases in financial management class) from two great professors, and it changed me. It was engaging, very challenging, unlike any previous classes I’d taken and it made me realize I really love finance, specifically, investment related areas (and it made me wish I would have gone to a more challenging school ugh!!). In any case, I got A’s in both classes (big whoop, I know, but I am usually a B student skating through to an extent simply because I could with natural ability), it made me feel at least some sense of accomplishment, and like I learned something useful. Nearly all students only take 1 of these classes, for some reason only one is required for the finance major (imo the degree is incomplete without both), and everyone I talked too (staff, past students) said I should drop one class because it was too hard. I say this not to put myself on a pedestal for achieving grades I should have, and was capable of achieving all along, but to show the expectations, or lack thereof, this university had for students. So after finishing these classes one of my teachers (who passed all the CFA exams) said I should look into the CFA program. I look into it and pretty much think to myself “wow this is the best thing ever,” not to mention the potential pay is stellar, and the jobs I would be eligible for seem extremely interesting and challenging, networking opportunities are there, and the work would not monotonous like some corporate finance jobs.
So, I moved to Seattle (grew up in WA) after graduating in September and have been looking for work for the past month or two (should have looked for jobs while in school but I thought I’d do the MBA program at said school until I realized it was absolute garbage). It’s worth noting that I have no experience (not even an internship unfortunately) other than a 3-year stint at a grocery store in high school, which I realize is worth precisely nothing.
So now that you fine folks know about the hole I’m in, how do I get out? Haha just kidding, but not really….. As of now I’m thinking I want to sign up for the CFA level I exam in June. I mean I have a passion for investment related matters, I read the WSJ religiously, and listen to Bloomberg every day to keep current. I also feel like I’m very competent in math, economics, and especially statistics, as well as having a good grasp on investment theory due to reading the FAJ, and other institutional Investor publications when I can (a rare treat due to price, and not being able to use the school subscriptions). I would say I’m a bit weak in corporate finance topics as most of my classes were less than informative, and not very technical/real world unfortunately. Will starting the CFA exam series benefit my career long term? I know I won’t land a dream equity researcher job anytime soon. I’m absolutely up to the challenge, and have no problem dedicating the next few years of my life solely to my career and the CFA exams to work my way up to where I want to be. I am willing to work long hard hours for mediocre pay if it’s work I enjoy doing/challenging/fulfilling, and of course will pay off one day not too long down the road. Should I be proceeding with the CFA? I mean one of my main goals in life is to have a great amount of financial freedom/prestige/respect, if other careers have a greater path to lead there, they may be considered.
I looked up and saw how much I just wrote, sorry for the length. So to break it down, do I have a hope for success in this industry given my background/experience/ambitions/anything else?
-How long should I expect to study for the level I exam? How useful are guides and classes (Seattle universities have a few, but they aren’t cheap)
-Any other great news sources you guys like to stay current? I’d like something more technical than WSJ and Bloomberg, reading actual research would be prime if possible
-Any other advice? Or questions I should be asking myself?
-Any idea on places online to brush up on my finance knowledge, and to stay sharp even if I’m not doing meaningful finance work at my job. I’m currently unemployed (although probably not for long) and I’d like to make the most of my time, not waste it, like I did with my university education.
-MBA is kind of a side thought for me, might pursue, but I feel like the CFA stuff is far more interesting to me personally, and less expensive, although MBA will open a greater number of doors probably, it won’t necessarily open the doors I want open, but it may be nice to have a better school/graduate level academics/internships on a resume…Will an MBA (from say UW, or a school in Seattle) help prove I’m a good candidate for a CFA job? Should I perhaps get an MBA to get my foot in the door then go down the CFA route?
-What types of jobs should I be looking for that will transition into CFA jobs? Banks, corporate finance (Amazon, Boeing etc.)? Something else? I’m applying to anything that seems finance related and doesn’t require experience, I’ve also emailed local smaller botique firms that don’t list jobs (although with my background they probably think I’m an asshole for bothering them right?)
I’ve been interviewing for a financial advisor (they want me to pursue a CFP obviously) job at a firm in Bellevue, I think I can get the job but I don’t really want it. The money is definitely better than any other job I could likely get but I want to do analyst work not sales. However if I could leverage some CFP knowledge and experience to help obtain my charter, and an analyst job, later down the road then I may consider this. I feel like I’d be a great advisor but frankly, I enjoy dealing with numbers/data more than people; not that I’m not a people person, I just get wrapped up in data sometimes. I know of very few people get a CFP, then a CFA, and assume virtually none get the CFA then CFP. I’d also be like 30 before I got my CFA…kind of a while really and an odd career change really, right?
Again, sorry for the length, but I’d be so grateful for any advice anyone can provide. I’m trying to get less confused about my options and where they will potentially lead, and how to prove my worth/get out of this hole I’m in. I’ve been doing informational interviews with various people (controllers, CFP’s, and a few others) but have not been able to speak with a CFA or a CFA candidate and know of not a single person who I graduated with who is pursuing a CFA, and I doubt most who come out of the school I came out of even know what it is. My head is now spinning, as I’m sure yours is from reading this damn tome of a post. Happy Friday, cheers guys. Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide me, I cannot put in words how much it will be appreciated.
I’ll start off by describing where I’m at in life. I’m 23, Just graduated with a finance degree and a minor in economics from a school that was not engaging, or challenging. In any case I am not stupid, I like a challenge, and I like to work hard on things especially if they are engaging. Suffice to say, I had a pretty poor GPA, (3.1 in my major *looks at floor*) that I have nobody to blame but myself for. I’m not in denial about that facts, nor am I blaming others for my shortcomings.
In my final quarter of college I took two great finance classes (portfolio management, and a cases in financial management class) from two great professors, and it changed me. It was engaging, very challenging, unlike any previous classes I’d taken and it made me realize I really love finance, specifically, investment related areas (and it made me wish I would have gone to a more challenging school ugh!!). In any case, I got A’s in both classes (big whoop, I know, but I am usually a B student skating through to an extent simply because I could with natural ability), it made me feel at least some sense of accomplishment, and like I learned something useful. Nearly all students only take 1 of these classes, for some reason only one is required for the finance major (imo the degree is incomplete without both), and everyone I talked too (staff, past students) said I should drop one class because it was too hard. I say this not to put myself on a pedestal for achieving grades I should have, and was capable of achieving all along, but to show the expectations, or lack thereof, this university had for students. So after finishing these classes one of my teachers (who passed all the CFA exams) said I should look into the CFA program. I look into it and pretty much think to myself “wow this is the best thing ever,” not to mention the potential pay is stellar, and the jobs I would be eligible for seem extremely interesting and challenging, networking opportunities are there, and the work would not monotonous like some corporate finance jobs.
So, I moved to Seattle (grew up in WA) after graduating in September and have been looking for work for the past month or two (should have looked for jobs while in school but I thought I’d do the MBA program at said school until I realized it was absolute garbage). It’s worth noting that I have no experience (not even an internship unfortunately) other than a 3-year stint at a grocery store in high school, which I realize is worth precisely nothing.
So now that you fine folks know about the hole I’m in, how do I get out? Haha just kidding, but not really….. As of now I’m thinking I want to sign up for the CFA level I exam in June. I mean I have a passion for investment related matters, I read the WSJ religiously, and listen to Bloomberg every day to keep current. I also feel like I’m very competent in math, economics, and especially statistics, as well as having a good grasp on investment theory due to reading the FAJ, and other institutional Investor publications when I can (a rare treat due to price, and not being able to use the school subscriptions). I would say I’m a bit weak in corporate finance topics as most of my classes were less than informative, and not very technical/real world unfortunately. Will starting the CFA exam series benefit my career long term? I know I won’t land a dream equity researcher job anytime soon. I’m absolutely up to the challenge, and have no problem dedicating the next few years of my life solely to my career and the CFA exams to work my way up to where I want to be. I am willing to work long hard hours for mediocre pay if it’s work I enjoy doing/challenging/fulfilling, and of course will pay off one day not too long down the road. Should I be proceeding with the CFA? I mean one of my main goals in life is to have a great amount of financial freedom/prestige/respect, if other careers have a greater path to lead there, they may be considered.
I looked up and saw how much I just wrote, sorry for the length. So to break it down, do I have a hope for success in this industry given my background/experience/ambitions/anything else?
-How long should I expect to study for the level I exam? How useful are guides and classes (Seattle universities have a few, but they aren’t cheap)
-Any other great news sources you guys like to stay current? I’d like something more technical than WSJ and Bloomberg, reading actual research would be prime if possible
-Any other advice? Or questions I should be asking myself?
-Any idea on places online to brush up on my finance knowledge, and to stay sharp even if I’m not doing meaningful finance work at my job. I’m currently unemployed (although probably not for long) and I’d like to make the most of my time, not waste it, like I did with my university education.
-MBA is kind of a side thought for me, might pursue, but I feel like the CFA stuff is far more interesting to me personally, and less expensive, although MBA will open a greater number of doors probably, it won’t necessarily open the doors I want open, but it may be nice to have a better school/graduate level academics/internships on a resume…Will an MBA (from say UW, or a school in Seattle) help prove I’m a good candidate for a CFA job? Should I perhaps get an MBA to get my foot in the door then go down the CFA route?
-What types of jobs should I be looking for that will transition into CFA jobs? Banks, corporate finance (Amazon, Boeing etc.)? Something else? I’m applying to anything that seems finance related and doesn’t require experience, I’ve also emailed local smaller botique firms that don’t list jobs (although with my background they probably think I’m an asshole for bothering them right?)
I’ve been interviewing for a financial advisor (they want me to pursue a CFP obviously) job at a firm in Bellevue, I think I can get the job but I don’t really want it. The money is definitely better than any other job I could likely get but I want to do analyst work not sales. However if I could leverage some CFP knowledge and experience to help obtain my charter, and an analyst job, later down the road then I may consider this. I feel like I’d be a great advisor but frankly, I enjoy dealing with numbers/data more than people; not that I’m not a people person, I just get wrapped up in data sometimes. I know of very few people get a CFP, then a CFA, and assume virtually none get the CFA then CFP. I’d also be like 30 before I got my CFA…kind of a while really and an odd career change really, right?
Again, sorry for the length, but I’d be so grateful for any advice anyone can provide. I’m trying to get less confused about my options and where they will potentially lead, and how to prove my worth/get out of this hole I’m in. I’ve been doing informational interviews with various people (controllers, CFP’s, and a few others) but have not been able to speak with a CFA or a CFA candidate and know of not a single person who I graduated with who is pursuing a CFA, and I doubt most who come out of the school I came out of even know what it is. My head is now spinning, as I’m sure yours is from reading this damn tome of a post. Happy Friday, cheers guys. Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide me, I cannot put in words how much it will be appreciated.
