cbreeze wrote:
So, if you are a chartered CFA, that means you had 4 years of relevant work experience ? I hope you don't mind my asking why you are pursuing an MBA if you have the official charter?
I have a friend, a sell side analyst, is a CFA but does not think an MBA is necessary.
yep, I have the work exp. There were lots of reasons why an MBA appealed to me, but in terms of the CFA, I felt like the CFA provided the knowledge, and an MBA provided the job opps. I think it would be hard to break into a lot of the top tier funds without an MBA. Some firms only hire their MBA interns, so it's a really tough nut to crack w/o an MBA.
Also, if you look at the leaders of investment firms, they frequently have MBAs. So maybe a CFA would suffice in the initial years, but down the road, if I wanted to take more of a firm leader role, an MBA would help. Better to do the MBA now.
Ultimately, your friend is right--nobody in business really needs an MBA, whereas lawyers need law degrees and doctors need med degrees. However, if you can get into a top 15 program and your personal circumstances allow you to go, you'd be crazy not to. The career options it opens up are staggering.