Dear All,

Thanks for being patient in reading my 1st post.

I'm a 28yrs old Singaporean male working in an IT project management role for my previous job in a Hotel. I'm currently unemployed by choice so that I may be accepted for a heavily subsidized postgraduate government program that train ERP (SAP) professionals. Upon my graduation from the program, I would need to serve a 20mth bond in that role regardless of whatever industry I'm in.

I have an intention to work in the finance industry as an Investment Analyst upon graduation and had attempted on my CFA level 1 twice (failed due to work commitments). My grades for my Bachelor's Degree in Computer Engineering are average (Pass with no honors). I'm currently pursuing a diploma in Accounting & Finance (local polytechnic) and graduating in 2010.

Understandably the Finance industry tend to hire graduates (less than 30years) for entry level positions.

Is it a wise choice to pursue a Masters of Finance, Masters of Financial Engineering or should I be doing an MBA (Finance) that could give me a shot at the interviewing table? The duration of the above-mentioned course is 1.5 years.

A 2nd alternative which I might consider is getting a CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accounting) which could lead me to a CPA (Chartered Accountant). This route will lead me to a more accounting-based career rather than a finance-related one.

My main motivation for working in the Finance industry is that the engineering profession is no longer highly regarded and there is limited career progression & remuneration as my country is moving away from engineering to a more service orientated economy.

Thank you