CFA Level 1 with MS Finance

Question

Hi, I am an immigrant from India and have received an admit from Purdue Krannert MS Finance for fall 2020. Please tell me that if I start and obtain a CFA level 1 designation before joining the program, would it help me in securing better employment and compensation opportunity tomorrow post graduation as compared to only having the MS degree?

yashikaaggarwal · Answer

First of all Congratulations for admission acceptance.
Second its fully up to you, whether you will be able to crack CFA by giving 200hours+ preparation time before fall 2020.
If you can that will surely be an additional advantage.
Good Luck

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MiMEssay · Answer

Hi @kinvesto, congratulations on your admit!
CFA is a highly valued certification among employers (Particularly for PE and Asset Management), employers like Goldman Sachs, Apollo Global Management, Blackstone, Fidelity, Pimco are known to employ around 18% to 29% CFA holders.

So yes a Level 1 would be a profile asset.

Good Luck!

MSFHQ · Answer

IMO, CFA L1 doesn't help you much, especially when you will have a MSF. L2 differentiates yourself, but L1 is rather common. I would focus on getting the best GPA you can and networking. That will have a higher ROI. Only do L1 if you plan on finishing the CFA.

Admissionado · Answer

Congrats on your acceptance! Having a CFA designation generally is very helpful for employment in finance, especially with bulge-brackets and especially for front office jobs. For many people in middle office and back office, even those with masters degrees, a CFA is what enables the transition to better, more remunerative front-office roles. Clearing CFA L1 won’t be as helpful as clearing CFA L2 for your resume, but hey, you have to start somewhere. Because it’s relatively common (and easier) to pass CFA L1, lots of people stop there or progress to CFA L2 and fail it, so having L1 won’t be as big of a differentiator as being a full-fledged CFA.

Keep in mind that a big part of graduate school (and recruiting!) is networking! So don’t neglect that opportunity at Purdue completely in service of your CFA goals. Unless you have extensive background in financial reporting and analysis, fixed income, derivatives, accounting, portfolio management, economics, etc., you are going to need to put in 200-300 hours to reasonably assume passing. That’s no small commitment when you consider the rigorous course load you’ll have at Purdue and the importance of your grades there for landing a top job afterward. You also don’t want to forgo employer info sessions and chances to get involved / demonstrate leadership on campus as employers will be selecting for that, too. If you are starting Purdue in the fall, you should probably use this time BEFORE you matriculate to study as much as possible and sit for the December L1 exam. As of right now it’s still being offered, but that may change in the next couple of months depending on COVID. If you put in a couple hundred hours now before school really ramps up, you’ll be ahead of the curve.

Best of luck to you!

bilinkki · Answer

If you get a CFA level 1, it's good but i dont think CFA level could secure you a good career. There r many candidates with this certificate out there. Many of my friends have completed CFA level 1 this year.

herewego52 · Answer

I think you should look at CFA’s curriculum and compare it with Purdue’s MSF curriculum. If both are very similar, there is no point in doing both, as you’ll be learning the same thing again.

CFA Level 1 with MS Finance

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