Just wondering where career takes me next? Engg degree --> 2yr refinery —> MBA —> 5yr fin roles in mfg --> 1.5 yr in developing projects (invest, develop, capitalize) with small firm, 1 yr fin analyst mfg, Current (1yr) fin analyst supporting corp projects, solar firm —> CFA L3? —> WHAT NEXT? FP&A? CFO? Bus. Dev? Boutique Investment Bank? PM? Do not want to go there. Fin. Advisor ? Do not want to go there. Others?? wonder if you guys can throw some light based on personal achievements?
Sounds like you are quite experienced and should know what you want, what youre capable of, and have a strongish network. If you already have an MBA and CFA, and youre already quite experienced, I think you have to be aware that going to a high-end track (M&A, HF, etc) you’re potentially too old to start in the entry leve positions, but you might be too old/irrelevant for a VP/Director job at a more elite financial institution. If you want a really structured path, I don’t think you’re going to get it. From your achievements, it doesn’t sound like you are new to fighting it out and being persistent and successful. if by MFG you mean manufacturing, I would think CFA would be a great entry point to being a research analyst, after which you can become a strategist or a PM, but it doesn’t sound like you want that. CFO might be useful but to be a CFO it really helps to have a CPA, I think. Frankly, you named quite a few potential areas, and some you’re not interested in, so I can’t comment any further because I need to know more about what you want, what your working style is, what your attitude and personality are like, and what your strengths and weaknesses are.
Thanks tkchunc for your inputs. Wonder what kind of background other guys on this forum has? Here are a few more thoughts from my end: * Not ok with Entry level so pure financial services is kind of out. * I am a financial analyst by profession and look for CFA charter to supplement that (sometimes wonder why CFAI is so focussed on ‘investment management’, its not always about investment, it can also be about identifying & implementing value opportunities in current operations. But that’s a seperate topic. * Some of my interests areas are: leveraging fin. analysis into corporate strategy and bus dev., Bus. valuation, evaluation and execution of deals and such. * Have done so many things in last few years (accounting, reporting, audit, asst. controller, bus. dev, FP&A analyst and such) that now I am confused. Real fun though was bus. dev. (developing and selling assets). * Might I need professional career guidance or mentor? Any thoughts where to find? Thanks!
I think you have a great resume to land into the corporate office of a large Fortune 500 type company. Corporate office is key though. Corporate finance or Investor relations are a good option, and they will be looking for your kind of background. The corporate finance role would get almost all of the points you mentioned in bullet 3, and I see those kind of postings frequently enough. Many large companies also have in-house investment banking type divisions usually just labeled mergers and acquisitions. That is also an option, but may be harder to find this exact role through job postings. Good luck.
Thanks swarrington! Is it a fair assumption that most guys on this forum are on PM, Research analyst track?
hdave5 - I think that’s an unfair assumption. I am in NYC, and most of my candidate/CFA friends are in banking, trading, or other ‘high finance’ role. I think the bracketing of CFA types is very regional, functional, and network or peer group oriented. I think there is no such thing as a CFA role that is most common.
Hmmm… Agree with the previous response mostly. You can find many roles that are improved by adding the CFA designation. I think it is up to us to leverage it properly. It is only a piece of the puzzle, but it could certainly be the piece that puts you over the top.