RAwannabeCFA
New member
- Jun 18, 2026
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Here is the good news...What I have found out from almost 10 years in this industry is this: People coming out of Undegrad don't know sh!t! Whether they go to Harvard or FSU they all come out wide eyed and without a freaking clue. Your goal is to get a job so that in 2 years you rectify that. Most can't model and I've yet to find one who can write worth a damn. The vast majority don't know crap about the capital markets. I go speak at the UT investment club from time to time and they do this weekly market update and I swear it is like listen to my 7 year old niece give a market report...But then I remember I had no clue either when I first started.
Here is the secret that nobody tells you and you kind of have to figure out on your own and the successful people do. Attach yourself at the hip to someone smart...really smart and hopefully well concected. If you've read Liar's Poker he talks about how he became friend with 2 really smart sales guys and that is how he learned the business. I hadn't read this until after I had already done this but after I did I thought this guy is smart. The other thing to do is become an expert at whatever job you get. Also, be well read it is tough to sit at home and read when all your friends are going out but pick 2-3 nights a week where you just read...Finance books, industry trades, Fortune, Barrons, The Economist, ect. Make sure you try to puruse the Journal and if feasible FT every day just so you are aware of the major stories and the major players. I would also throw in Trader's monthly and Dealmaker which are mostly fluff but learn the name of the major player.
Also, go to the CFA society meetings in your area. Get there early and try to talk to the guest speaker if possible. Find out what he does, get his card, ask if you can e-mail him if you have questions. Sit at a different table everytime and meet everyone in the society. Volunteer if they need it and you can. When you talk to people try to have an opinion.
People are always trying to find good people and in a lot of cases people don't care where you went to school or what your grades were if you come across as well spoken and well read. I didn't go to great schools or get great grades but people always tell me they think I'm one of the smartest people they've met (they are OFTEN wrong) but perception is everything.
Also, when you go to these things try to dress the part...it is cliche but at many CFA societies people come in dressed like crap especially young guys and for whatever reason pension fund guys. Details are also important if you have a flip phone get rid of it and get some kind of next gen phone like a Blackbeery or Cingular 8125 they just look more professional and for god sake wear a watch.
These aren't huge things for guys with great grades who went to top schools but they can help the perception people have of you and that is more important for people without the perfect education.
numi is right about focusing on smaller shops. They typically will take risks because they can't afford the perfect candidate and sometimes at firms like mine we want someone with a little different background. We feel people who got that 4.0 usually are good at telling teachers what they want to hear and not at challenging popular belief.
After a couple of years you can hopefully write and model which make you much more marketable and you should have your choice of several jobs.
Here is the secret that nobody tells you and you kind of have to figure out on your own and the successful people do. Attach yourself at the hip to someone smart...really smart and hopefully well concected. If you've read Liar's Poker he talks about how he became friend with 2 really smart sales guys and that is how he learned the business. I hadn't read this until after I had already done this but after I did I thought this guy is smart. The other thing to do is become an expert at whatever job you get. Also, be well read it is tough to sit at home and read when all your friends are going out but pick 2-3 nights a week where you just read...Finance books, industry trades, Fortune, Barrons, The Economist, ect. Make sure you try to puruse the Journal and if feasible FT every day just so you are aware of the major stories and the major players. I would also throw in Trader's monthly and Dealmaker which are mostly fluff but learn the name of the major player.
Also, go to the CFA society meetings in your area. Get there early and try to talk to the guest speaker if possible. Find out what he does, get his card, ask if you can e-mail him if you have questions. Sit at a different table everytime and meet everyone in the society. Volunteer if they need it and you can. When you talk to people try to have an opinion.
People are always trying to find good people and in a lot of cases people don't care where you went to school or what your grades were if you come across as well spoken and well read. I didn't go to great schools or get great grades but people always tell me they think I'm one of the smartest people they've met (they are OFTEN wrong) but perception is everything.
Also, when you go to these things try to dress the part...it is cliche but at many CFA societies people come in dressed like crap especially young guys and for whatever reason pension fund guys. Details are also important if you have a flip phone get rid of it and get some kind of next gen phone like a Blackbeery or Cingular 8125 they just look more professional and for god sake wear a watch.
These aren't huge things for guys with great grades who went to top schools but they can help the perception people have of you and that is more important for people without the perfect education.
numi is right about focusing on smaller shops. They typically will take risks because they can't afford the perfect candidate and sometimes at firms like mine we want someone with a little different background. We feel people who got that 4.0 usually are good at telling teachers what they want to hear and not at challenging popular belief.
After a couple of years you can hopefully write and model which make you much more marketable and you should have your choice of several jobs.