Hi, I’ve just done CFA L3 exam this June and my goal is to move into an entry level position in investment analysis at a small fund. My career background is in 4 yrs IB back office (more specifically product control roles) + 8 mths wealth mgmt finance.
I’m not very good at modeling/vba/Phyton, so I’m planning to enroll in additional courses (training the street/Wall Street prep course for modeling) to pick up these skills sets and then try apply for interviews.
What other technical skills shall I get in order to make the break? I’m also contemplating of taking masters in applied finance, but have heard mixed feedbacks on ROI.
It’s an interesting program, but I’m currently in Sydney, AU. Just got married + pregnant with my first. So a prestige US MBA program is probably not what I can do right now.
In terms of the area of specialization in a master course, do I need to focus on investing? Or would corporate finance/MA focus help with getting an investment analyst role too?
US firms mostly hire from university programs. That is why US candidates pursue degrees that will place them in these channels. Equivalently, I would expect that you would need to pursue whatever hiring route is common to Australian hires. Many candidates seem to believe that “technical skills” will earn them competitive jobs. It’s more important to fit a common profile for finance hires.
the cfa designation or even AU school brands are not really a differentiating factor in AU finance hiring market- it’s way too small as well compare to US. You’re spot on about building the right profile instead of just focusing on skill sets, I guess I need much more networking to find out what tick the boxes.