Hey guys!! This is my first post. Just joined AF but I’ve been going through the stuff that has been discussed here and I think its certainly very helpful. Ok so here goes… I am currently living in Pakistan, 24, working for one of the top 5 banks here as a research analyst. I just cleared L1 in December and am planning to give L2 in June’10. But I’m going to get engaged in about a month’s time and my fiance will apply for my papers so I can move to the US and live there as obviously we are more likely to have a much better future living in the States than in Pakistan with all the mess and uncertainty that exists here right now. I have always wanted to get the CFA charter (I don’t know if i m using the designation correctly or not but frankly I dont really care cuz the scenario itself is more important), but knowing that it is recognized in the US and can possibly help me land a decent job just added to my motivation. But now I realize its not as easy as I thought it would be (moving to the US and getting a decent job on the basis of CFA only, cuz obviously my experience here won’t really count for much). The market obviously sucks right now and everyone seems to be getting laid off. When I get there, there will be much more qualified, much more experienced people fighting for the same spot I MIGHT be fighting for. So frankly, at this point I think its gonna be impossible for me to get a decent job in asset management, private equity, investment banking or any other financial industry for that matter. I realize that im going to have to do some sorta odd job when I first get there in a year’s time (we’re hoping it would take a year but me being from Pakistan I think thats highly unlikely). But eventually, I’d want to enter the finance industry and get a decent job and put all that I’ve studied and enjoy doing to some good use. I just wanted to know how you guys think I should go about it… Cuz obviously you guys know the American market better than I do. What steps should I take that may help me in settling down there with a decent job in the financial industry… Please feel free to comment I can certainly use your suggestions… Thanks! Oh and we were planning to move to Dallas. are there many financial firms there?? I dont exactly know the setup. You mostly here about NewYork and Chicago and thats bout it…
Are you in equity research or something else? Do you have any examples of your work you could potentially show to future employers? I say this as if you are worried your work experience will not count for much in the US, if you can show that it is to a similar standard as research carried out in the US then it should help your cause. What kind of visa will you have by the way? It does not sound like you will need firms to sponsor you which is deinitely a positive.
Just interested: is the word ‘Paki’ acceptable slang for ‘Pakistani’ in the US? Is it freely used in Pakistan? In the UK, I would probably lose my job and get arrested for calling anyone a ‘Paki’.
mellowman123 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Oh and we were planning to move to Dallas. Hope you’re not planning on getting rich anytime soon.
Take a GMAT/GRE and aim to spend couple of years in master program. This would help in learning american culture and give you a US degree. Employer, especially HR look for someone who has studied here (except top schools in the world). Complete CFA in the mean time and you are good to go to live your American Dream until China starts selling US debts.
To be very frank, Just get a Masters or MBA rather than wasting your time on this CFA nonsense. I am assuming you will be on bonded labour slavery visa called H1-B? Believe me I repent each of those hard 1000+ hours I have put into this program already and and see no clear path to ‘Finance’
Take GMAT apply to top MBA programs, your only way into decent finance jobs unless you want to work as an FA.
I agree with the above. If you want to get into finance in the US, get a US degree. Even if you have great foreign work experience, it’s unlikely that local employers will appreciate it. Forget about the CFA.
Frankly speaking , there are no guarantees with anything. A CFA could get your foot in the door or not. Same goes for MBA as well. I know a few people with all levels of CFA completed and still haven’t been able to break into Finance. Same goes for MBA as well. Two of my friends,both got MBA’s last year , one from Tuck and the other from Fuqua still haven’t been able to land jobs, leave alone finance jobs. Hence, you need to try everything and hope something will work out. Keep chugging along the CFA path , plan for an MBA and also keep applying to openings that you come across. However, Dallas might not be the place to launch a career in High Finance.
Dallas has many PE/HF firms so its not like you won’t have anything. Also Austin and Houston are major cities and Houston has many oil/energy firms but these jobs are very hard to come by as they need Ivy league education/BB exp etc.
Thanks alot for all your suggestions. I guess i’ll just take whatever I can get my hands on. I dont think starting MBA would be an option for me initially. Cuz we’ll basically start over so will have nothing to fall back on. maybe a few years down the road as initially, it won’t be financially viable. I guess i’ll continue with CFA and hope that it can help me out in the near future. Oh and Legrande it won’t be a slavery visa as you mentioned. I m going to be on a spouse visa, K-3 i think. And Mandelbrot ‘Paki’ is just short for Pakistani here. Didn’t know it was such a big deal in UK…
It’s a big deal in UK because starting a long time ago people started calling anybody that looked vaguely like they were from Pakistan “Paki”. It became kind of a derogatory thing because of that. Sort of like calling anybody that looks like they may be from China “Chinaman”.
mellowman123 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Hey guys!! This is my first post. Just joined AF > but I’ve been going through the stuff that has > been discussed here and I think its certainly very > helpful. Ok so here goes… > > I am currently living in Pakistan, 24, working for > one of the top 5 banks here as a research analyst. > I just cleared L1 in December and am planning to > give L2 in June’10. But I’m going to get engaged > in about a month’s time and my fiance will apply > for my papers so I can move to the US and live > there as obviously we are more likely to have a > much better future living in the States than in > Pakistan with all the mess and uncertainty that > exists here right now. I have always wanted to > get the CFA charter (I don’t know if i m using the > designation correctly or not but frankly I dont > really care cuz the scenario itself is more > important), but knowing that it is recognized in > the US and can possibly help me land a decent job > just added to my motivation. But now I realize > its not as easy as I thought it would be (moving > to the US and getting a decent job on the basis of > CFA only, cuz obviously my experience here won’t > really count for much). The market obviously > sucks right now and everyone seems to be getting > laid off. When I get there, there will be much > more qualified, much more experienced people > fighting for the same spot I MIGHT be fighting > for. So frankly, at this point I think its gonna > be impossible for me to get a decent job in asset > management, private equity, investment banking or > any other financial industry for that matter. > > I realize that im going to have to do some sorta > odd job when I first get there in a year’s time > (we’re hoping it would take a year but me being > from Pakistan I think thats highly unlikely). But > eventually, I’d want to enter the finance industry > and get a decent job and put all that I’ve studied > and enjoy doing to some good use. > > I just wanted to know how you guys think I should > go about it… Cuz obviously you guys know the > American market better than I do. What steps > should I take that may help me in settling down > there with a decent job in the financial > industry… Please feel free to comment I can > certainly use your suggestions… Thanks! > > Oh and we were planning to move to Dallas. are > there many financial firms there?? I dont exactly > know the setup. You mostly here about NewYork and > Chicago and thats bout it… Good luck with your transition. Just curious, why you would walk away from a job at a top bank in your country to become unemployed here?
S/He wants to live the American Dream [That never exisis…]
It can’t be that bad in Paki ??
eureka Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Sort of like calling anybody that looks like they > may be from China “Chinaman”. Do you mean Chink (kind of like Paki, which btw is also offensive here in the states)? Because in the US Chinaman isn’t really offensive.
LaGrandeFinale Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > S/He wants to live the American Dream [That never exisis…] As an immigrant, I will attest that the American dream absolutely exists. I have infinitely more opportunities here than in my home country, despite coming here with little money, few connections and a noticeable foreign accent. Many people take for granted how great it is to live here.
This just shows that adavydov7 is again an immature 24 yr old Russian who cannot comprehend anything beyond what Russia propaganda taught him.
^Shut the FUCK up you clown:)
And there it is again. Just proves to the world that Russians are hard-headed people; kind of resembles the nation for the past 2 centuries 
Chinaman is offensive btw.