i gotcha FIanalyst. one of these days i’ll be sitting at a desk updating models and listening in on earnings/conference calls… i’ve got some catching up to do. BTW numi- this bird is a “she” 
grizzums Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > SomewhatDamaged Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > > > > As someone who may be in your position, why did > > you decide to pursue your undergrad now? > > > That’s a good question…and one that I have > thought a lot about. I’ll skip to the bottom > line…“the competitive landscape” within the > industry as far as employment goes. > > I was of the opinion for a good deal of time that > after passing all (3) levels of the exam, I would > have the necessary credentials (on paper) to at > least display my working knowledge, of this aspect > (research analysis), to the financial industry. I > have always been of the opinion that it is the > “intangibles” of my persona, my work ethic and my > experience in life that would win me an > opportunity in the field. My thinking has been > along the lines of…“If I can just get my foot > in the door to speak with the right person, I > would win them over…face to face.” I have > been a self studier in the market for the last few > years and in addition to the rest of my crazy > workload, I have been successful in the market as > an (options) index trader. I know my confidence > (which isn’t a matter of being “over” so)…and I > know people. I’ve been around the block and I’m > no idiot, but also no genius. I am quite > comfortable in the same room, participating in > conversations and perhaps debates with differering > opinions backed up by sound basis with the > so-called elitists that carry impressive resumes > from prestigious institutions. That does not phase > me in the least. I am not knocking these > individuals either…as I have immense respect > for those resumes and those accomplishments. I > feel I may be judged more by the elite than I > judge them…and that’s fine…but that could > also just be an inaccurate perception on my part. > > > > The thing I kept coming back to was > simple…“the foot in the door”. And the > question…“Why would an institution give myself > an opportunity for an interview after they compare > a resume of mine with a resume of a 25 year old > college grad who has passed the CFA?” I’ve > continuously had trouble answering this question. > I am not ignorant…imho, an industry such as > finance puts a significant amount of weight into > that cherished (by the elite) and golden resume > and what it entails. I do believe that their are > some within the indutry that pride themselves on > finding talent in unusual places with unusual > backgrounds, but those are in the minority. The > simultaneous work towards my undergraduate degree > and CFA Charter is to increase my odds, simple as > that. I am trying to give myself the best chance > possible. Do I think I NEED that degree? No, but > it can’t hurt and realistically WILL help get that > door opened, imho. > > That is just the conclusion I have come to. It’s > about the odds. It’s about the risk. The risk > involved in taking all this time to, and effort > to, accomplish the CFA and then the possibility of > not reaping the reward…at my age, without that > degree. I like my risk/ reward assessment better > with both the CFA and the undergrad degree, no > matter how difficult that is for me. I’ve busted > my arse my entire life in whatever I do…why > skimp out now? I will ALWAYS refuse to use “I’m > too tired” as an excuse for anything. As a matter > of fact…I will make NO excuses…period. > Sheer, hardcore determination wins every > race…and I WILL win, somehow, someway…and a > win for me is clearly defined in my financial > journal. > > I wish you the best! Great post, and thanks. Definitely provides some words of wisdom for someone who has been wrestling with the same thoughts for the past little while. I realize, just as you did, that regardless of whether or not I am capable of a certain job, it would be hard to get someone to even look at the resume. Posting some of my sentiments on this board actually led me to this realization, even though I’ve had some folks say that I’ll be ok with just the CFA charter and some experience. I don’t want that feeling for the rest of my life that something is ‘missing’, and I’ll be sure to feel as such when job hunting or talking to various headhunters and what not. How are you finding work+CFA+undergrad (part time, i imagine) to be on you? And you’ve got kids! I can’t imagine what that’s like. I was planning on just completing CFA L1 this june while working, and then going ahead part time with the undergrad come next september. I’ve already got almost a years worth of the undergrad done, so I would continue that part time and work full time…I suppose I could somehow try to fit in doing a class or two, alongside CFA L2 (hopefully) studies? That’s definitely great to hear though and good on you for having such a tremendous work ethic.
SomewhatDamaged Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > Great post, and thanks. Definitely provides some > words of wisdom for someone who has been wrestling > with the same thoughts for the past little while. > I realize, just as you did, that regardless of > whether or not I am capable of a certain job, it > would be hard to get someone to even look at the > resume. Posting some of my sentiments on this > board actually led me to this realization, even > though I’ve had some folks say that I’ll be ok > with just the CFA charter and some experience. I > don’t want that feeling for the rest of my life > that something is ‘missing’, and I’ll be sure to > feel as such when job hunting or talking to > various headhunters and what not. > > How are you finding work+CFA+undergrad (part time, > i imagine) to be on you? And you’ve got kids! I > can’t imagine what that’s like. I was planning on > just completing CFA L1 this june while working, > and then going ahead part time with the undergrad > come next september. I’ve already got almost a > years worth of the undergrad done, so I would > continue that part time and work full time…I > suppose I could somehow try to fit in doing a > class or two, alongside CFA L2 (hopefully) > studies? > > That’s definitely great to hear though and good on > you for having such a tremendous work ethic. You sound like you have a good plan going. Definitely doable. Anything in this world can be accomplished…anything…no matter what some folks may tell you. It only takes me a walk down the corrdior of the hospital I work at (yes, still construction/ facility engineer) - to the rehab unit where I see and talk to paraplegics that accomplish things on a daily basis that almost every doctor in the country would probably say cannot be done - to convince me of that. As far as how I do it? It’s f-ing hard work…excuse my language in my brutally honest response, but I’m simply one to tell it like it is. I don’t believe in “fluff”. Thank goodness I have a bit of a luxury in that I can do some studying while at work, in between jobs. I also have a wife that is extremely supportive (even though she works full time as well)…* gotta plug in a quick “thanks” to sis-n-law here * I unfortunately can’t make it to everyone of my kids soccer games, 4H, swim events, or piano recitals…but I just do the best I can…and I plead with my 10 year old for her understanding of what “Dad” is trying to accomplish. I am unfortunately missing out on some of my littlest ones (18mos) growing up…and honestly, the aspect of experiences I may be missing in my children’s lives are far and away the most difficult part of this whole process for me. The difficulty of juggling work, school, and the CFA don’t even compare to the difficulty in the juggling and jostling my schedule to see as much of my kids as I possibly can. The thing that I eliminate from my life the most? Sleep…which is what brought me to this thread in the first place…haha. My time is up…gotta hit the books. All the best!
i don’t understand why undergrads are doing the CFA. it sorta makes your whole degree in university just a “must do”. the benefit is you will problalby end up with a kick ass job right out of school, but you might miss out on the good things in university.
FrankArabia Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > i don’t understand why undergrads are doing the > CFA. it sorta makes your whole degree in > university just a “must do”. the benefit is you > will problalby end up with a kick ass job right > out of school, but you might miss out on the good > things in university. My understanding is that you can only do it if you’re in the last year of your undergrad, so I think most of those good things have already been experienced by then. I think in you’re 4th year you’re much more focused and just want to get the hell out and looking towards work. I personally would wait on doing MBA’s/CFA’s etc mainly because most undergrads have absolutely no idea what it’s like to work full time (co-op/internships/summer employment, part time work don’t count), and thus don’t get as much from these post graduate type of designations/degrees, and also not to mention they generally have a pretty tough time getting their foot in the door, especially without things like a CSC or series 7 (whatever its called in the US). My suggestion would be to work for a year or two, figure out where you want your career to go (it’s hard to get a good idea of this just by what you learn in school), and then go abouts your academic aspirations as you see fit moving forward.
23 - Sleeping at ~10 now wake at 6 to get to work by 7. The commute is not terrible, but the G train is definitely the worst late at night… I leave around 5:30-6PM depending on work load. I only started this schedule this week with my new job so it’s been fine so far. I just hope it doesn’t wear me down further down the road. Wish me luck 
what i’m trying to understand is that if you’re in your fourth year in undergrad, shouldn’t you be focused on the job search as opposed to getting the CFA? i know in my senior year, i was so busy with recruiting and all the preparation and traveling associated with it, that i certainly would have had no time for the CFA, and barely had enough time for my classes
numi Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > what i’m trying to understand is that if you’re in > your fourth year in undergrad, shouldn’t you be > focused on the job search as opposed to getting > the CFA? i know in my senior year, i was so busy > with recruiting and all the preparation and > traveling associated with it, that i certainly > would have had no time for the CFA, and barely had > enough time for my classes You were probably one of the lucky ones, who graduated from a top school. Good for you.
Me 11:30pm to 7:15am most nights. Why is that good? I’m 30. Willy
I’m 26, up by 6:00am, bed by midnight–12:30am at the latest. Don’t start work until 9:00am, but the insane LA traffic requires I leave at 8:00am to go the whole 11 miles to get to my office by 9:00am.
Ha ha ha ha!!! Wow Gouman that’s excellent. I thought Toronto was brutal…ha ha ha!!! Man I can’t believe how funny I found that post. Willy
grizzums Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I unfortunately can’t make it to everyone of my > kids soccer games, 4H, swim events, or piano > recitals…but I just do the best I can…and > I plead with my 10 year old for her understanding > of what “Dad” is trying to accomplish. I am > unfortunately missing out on some of my littlest > ones (18mos) growing up…and honestly, the > aspect of experiences I may be missing in my > children’s lives are far and away the most > difficult part of this whole process for me. The > difficulty of juggling work, school, and the CFA > don’t even compare to the difficulty in the > juggling and jostling my schedule to see as much > of my kids as I possibly can. The thing that I > eliminate from my life the most? Sleep…which > is what brought me to this thread in the first > place…haha. My time is up…gotta hit the > books. > > All the best! grizzums, this really hits me. I have one kid and he means the world to me. I’m writing this in a hotel room traveling for work. M - Th on the road this week. So, although he’s the single most important thing to me, I have to make some sacrifices. I’m 32. I try to go to bed by midnight. I wake up at around 6:10am. Last winter through this past Level III exam was particulary bad. I was overloaded with the work. I oftentimes did not sleep a wink for a couple of days due to report deadlines, etc. This is also due to the fact that I religiously kept 5 pm - 10 pm for my family so my work didn’t resume until 10 pm. In the beginning of May, I could tell that something was seriously wrong with me. I felt like I was going to collapse. I went to see a doctor and it turned out that I had developed hypertension. I’m on medication now but I know sleep deprivation has taken its toll on me. Even on meds, if I don’t get enough sleep (say no more than 3 hours of sleep), my blood pressure goes up right away. This really scared me so I decided to better take care of myself.
shoot Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > grizzums Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > I unfortunately can’t make it to everyone of my > > kids soccer games, 4H, swim events, or piano > > recitals…but I just do the best I > can…and > > I plead with my 10 year old for her > understanding > > of what “Dad” is trying to accomplish. I am > > unfortunately missing out on some of my > littlest > > ones (18mos) growing up…and honestly, the > > aspect of experiences I may be missing in my > > children’s lives are far and away the most > > difficult part of this whole process for me. > The > > difficulty of juggling work, school, and the > CFA > > don’t even compare to the difficulty in the > > juggling and jostling my schedule to see as > much > > of my kids as I possibly can. The thing that I > > eliminate from my life the most? > Sleep…which > > is what brought me to this thread in the first > > place…haha. My time is up…gotta hit the > > books. > > > > All the best! > > grizzums, this really hits me. I have one kid and > he means the world to me. I’m writing this in a > hotel room traveling for work. M - Th on the road > this week. So, although he’s the single most > important thing to me, I have to make some > sacrifices. > > I’m 32. I try to go to bed by midnight. I wake > up at around 6:10am. Last winter through this > past Level III exam was particulary bad. I was > overloaded with the work. I oftentimes did not > sleep a wink for a couple of days due to report > deadlines, etc. This is also due to the fact that > I religiously kept 5 pm - 10 pm for my family so > my work didn’t resume until 10 pm. In the > beginning of May, I could tell that something was > seriously wrong with me. I felt like I was going > to collapse. I went to see a doctor and it turned > out that I had developed hypertension. I’m on > medication now but I know sleep deprivation has > taken its toll on me. Even on meds, if I don’t > get enough sleep (say no more than 3 hours of > sleep), my blood pressure goes up right away. > This really scared me so I decided to better take > care of myself. Just listen to yourself. If your mind/body feels as if it needs a rest, there’s only so much more you can push yourself. Anyone with kids here studying for the CFA and also working full time, it definitely sounds like a lot of work. I’m not one who likes to schedule my time, and generally like to study whenever I please, but I’d probably try to do something like spend time with kids on tuesdays/friday evenings, study monday/weds/thurs and on saturday/sunday mornings, keeping the evenings free for the kids, or saturday evenings, and sunday mornings/afternoons for kids and the evenings for myself (since they have to be in bed early). It’s obviously hard for me to say since I’ve never had kids, and I don’t have to go through the headaches of being woken up ‘rudely’ by my 2 year old crying at 3am on a worknight, but I imagine with kids in my life, my study schedule and family schedule would have to be much more pre-determined, if you will, as opposed to ‘when im in the mood’. Seriously, mad respect to you folks. Keep it up.