Change in career - financial analyst

Hi all,

I have worked at Big 4 for three years. I am considering switching my career from being an auditor to financial analyst. I did several research on the internet and found out it is difficult to get a foot into financial analyst field, especially given the fact that I don’t have a lot of knowledge about financial service industry. I signed up for the CFA level 1 with the hope that I will pass the exam to show the employer that I am determined to work in the financial service industry.

I wonder if this step is sufficient enough. I would like to ask your advices regard which additional steps I should prepare to help me get a financial analyst job. Any advice would be much appreciated.

In addition, do you know any group or association of financial analyst in Dallas that I can net work with?

Thanks for your help