Education and Career Forum

Hello Sir/Madam,
M an computer engg. as a fresher i have just joined ITcompany n m in the banking domain..my prblem is m interested in giving CFA(US) exam..shud i go or no for the exam..CFA as a future for an engg..hwz it?..please reply(in detail if possible)..
Thankyou in advance.

CFA stands for Chartered Financial Analyst. It is a US based Financial Certification that trains people on various aspect of Financial Knowledge. If you would be knowing, Finance is the core of every business. It is therefore very important to have at least the basic to intermediate understanding of how Finance of every organisation works.

CFA is offered by an American Institution named CFA Institute. It is globally recognised and is a highly regarded body to certify people across the globe on their Financial Knowledge.

Coming to your query that would CFA be a right career certification if you wish to go for Banking Jobs, I would say yes. Although, CFA is a very tough course it is said to be primarily useful for people that are planning for a career in Investment Banking. However, the curriculum that it has covers all important areas of finance which may come to use in any banking job as well. Thus, first and foremost there is no harm in taking this course up.

2nd, this is a very expensive certification that costs around 70K per level. There are 3 levels of CFA namely, L1, L2 and L3. The test happens twice every year:

1. June - CFA Level 1, 2, 3
2. December - CFA Level 2 and 3 ONLY.

Thus, you must take note of these and for timelines and visiting the official website of CFA Please Click Here. Through this website you can also keep track of the form submission dates etc. Having a Passport is mandatory to sit for the CFA exams.

Many people also consider this to be equivalent to doing MBA in Finance but actually this is much more comprehensive as compared to an MBA. The best part about this certification is that it can be done offline without having to leave your job if you are doing any. You may buy the materials through quikr or olx or even through the institute (which would be expensive) and start your self study.

Maintain a timetable for daily study and this course should not take more than 300 hours of dedicated effort. Level 2 and 3 are of course tougher but the L1 can be cracked fairly easily. CFA as a career certificate is amazing and there would not be any looking back once you are able to crack it. So, go for it.