I am a Software Engineering PhD Candidate hopping to wrap up my studies this year. While I dont necessarily have age on my side (early 30’s), I plan on switching over to Finance as a Quant Analyst down the road. My background includes an MBA and MS in Computer Science from an excellent school (note: emphasis is on excellent not the schools ranking) and have about 10 yrs of professional experience, 6 of which has been with a Top Tier Strategy Consulting firm. My questions are as follows: 1) Would the CFA designation help improve one’s chances of landing a Job as a Quant analyst ? 2) What is the preffered study guide (Swesher or Stalla) Thanks for responses in advance. Note: One of the driving factors of my decision to move into Finance is because of my intent to relocate overseas to a country which is not "technologically advanced, hence my desire to apply my skillset towards the finance field.
*Sigh*
i think the people at wilmott . com can help you more. that forum is more quant related.
CFA does help, but not as much as you might think. It lets people know you have some clue about business, but thats about it. Also, look at this thread for some recommended reading. http://www.analystforum.com/phorums/read.php?1,667279,668168#msg -668168
CFA will help address the question of “do you know anything about finance.” it may help you get interviews, but you’ll have to demonstrate something more to land the job. I agree with the Wilmott suggestion. Not that you won’t be welcome to chat here, but there is a higher concentration of quanty types there. If you do go ahead with CFA, though, this is a great place right here.