I am doing MBA at a provincial level univ in Canada. Till now MBA has failed to inspire me, it all appears very disconnected and theoretical, plus the teaching in Finance is nothing better than free videos on YouTube and in fact on most cases worse. I did CFA L1 few years back and I am thinking to enroll myself in CFA Level 2 to get in mode of learning. My question is should I register in CFA L2 or try to get Finance specialization in MBA ? Doing both can be hard as Finance courses are NOT totally linked to CFA L2 and I have some other commitments as well. I can do a general MBA and write L2 more easily.
If the Finance course is not worthy, I suggest you to go for level II. I study much more about Finance with CFA than any other courses.
Have you done any business degree/diploma.
I took my master degree in Financial Risk Management while taking the CFA exam. My master heavily involves in portfolio management ( I also have some corporate finance courses), so i can tell there is some similarity between my master’s curriculum and CFA curriculum. I think CFA is a great contribution to my degree as it organize all of the technical knowledge I have from my master and give me a big picture on what should be done with portfolio management. However, I don’t take an MBA so I don’t know if they are comparable or not.
Have you taken L2 before? If you took L1 and hadn’t had the desire to sit for L2, I suspect your motivation will be equally lacking for L3 and that assumes you pass L2. A CFA Charter I suspect separates you from competing candidates of future jobs more so than your finance specialization, but of course this route is the riskier of the two because you do not mention your L3 intentions and you still have to pass L2.
Can you do a MBA and L2 at the same time?
My answer would be: “your MBA is too easy and that is bad. Perhaps your MBA does not worth it. Quit from that”
I don’t have an MBA and not planning taking one in the near future, however I know lot of people with top 10 MBAs and they say that they are time consuming and not much easy after all, lot of cases, analysis, readings, classes, group meetings, etc.
I registered for L2 previously but didn’t sit for exams because I started pretty late and had already accepted an offer for an MBA. Now in my MBA I am back to study mode and think maybe I can do it. I am planning to order CFA L2 books for $170 and not register now. I will study for 3-4 months and see how I am shaping up and if I am still interested in the topic. Prior to MBA I was interested in Finance my MBA experience made me question my interest. I realized that I learnt better doing self-study with CFA courses than disconnected rapid fire courses with inexperienced professors.
You are right I am not in top 10 MBA and I don’t think one would need a CFA after a top 10 MBA. An MBA from Wharton would trump CFA, Actuary, PhD (unless in Finance) etc.
Your responses make me question your dedication to the program which is neither good nor bad. We can’t speak to your dedication. Yes, it is doable and yes, if you are willing to put yourself through it I believe it would be worth it for your career in finance. It’s hard enough to put your head down and study when you know finance is where you want to be and that this will advance your career. It’s another thing entirely if your MBA is driving your interests to another career field. I think you’d be better served dedicating some time picking up skills relevant to where your interests to lie so that you know when you graduate that you do in fact want to go into that field.
enjoy your MBA years, make friends, meet women and have fun
We all speak from our own experiences. Some of us have the privilege of being born in a developed world and can lead a predictable life. Others need to struggle a lot to achieve a modicum of success. That’s why my comments won’t make sense.
They make sense. I’m saying that the CFA program is a commitment and it just doesn’t sound as though you are committed to it based on your summary of your situation. You asked if you should focus on your MBA or do the CFA as well. I’m saying if you don’t think you will take and pass Level 3 after Level 2, you are better off just giving your MBA your all and preparing for the next opportunity. You mentioned you weren’t sure finance was the direction you wanted to go and the CFA program drags on for many many years for some individuals. I recommended you focus on learning more about an area you may be interested in as opposed to further committing to finance if you do not believe this is the field for you.
If you don’t like my advice, maybe it means you want to go through with the program and I truly wish you all the best if you choose to. If you could complete your MBA with strong grades and get your charter you will be much better off for a career in finance.
Thanks.