I was just wondering if anyone is experiencing similar issues with family, especially in-laws, not understanding the level of commitment needed to pass the CFA exams. This weekend, my wife’s family made several comments that it seems all I do is study for exams. It is true that I was completing my MSF when we met and then I started the CFA program shortly thereafter. While my family is very supportive, I am afraid that my wife’s family does not understand how important the CFA program is to my career since it is not a formal university program and thinks that this is some sort of sickness that I have which takes me away from spending time with them at their family functions.
She could be just blowing off some steam. Many women don’t think much before they talk, to many all they care about is what they want
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Become billionaire
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Dominate local economy and real estate
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Enslave them all
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???
Watch that first step, it’s a doozy.
I just wanted to know if you guys had a similar situation where family does not seem to understand the effort needed to pass the CFA program. I think people who have no idea what the CFA is, think it is just some program and a waste of time, where my time would be better spent getting an MBA at the local no-name university and working some dead-end office job until I can collect Social Security and Medicare like everyone else. Comments with blank stares like, “What’s this for anyway?”, “You sure have a lot of tests” and “You sure have been doing this for a long time” really get under my skin.
That’s what I would expect from people who have no idea what it is like to work really hard to achieve a higher degree
My in-laws were supportive even though they didn’t understand the significance of the exams. I missed my sister-in-law’s (wife’s sister) wedding because it was the same day as the level 3 exam and they were cool about it.
family was very supportive, but i found my non-finance college friends/gf didn’t entirely believe me
Didnt study much in college… buuut now
“i can’t hang out much/ will cancel plans for the next 3 months… i gotta study”
Same here. Been with my gf for five years, 3 of which were in college where she rarely saw me do any studying. we live 100 miles apart now and cancelling our plans together to study has not gone over well. Despite the amount of studying that still needs to be done, June can not come soon enough for the sake of my sanity and any semblance of a personal life.
It may help to remind them that “there is an end to the exam taking/studying process, and it happens when [X].”
The other thing that is important is that in the June-December part of the year, when you are not studying for the exams, you need to make up for lost time and be attentive and fun, and remind your partner that she/he is important to you and a priority in your life.
Also remind them why you are doing this and how your partner is going to get to benefit from how awsome you are when you are done.
Depending on the person, it could also be that the CFA program will result in zero benefit. Hence, what all the relatives are saying might be true. Just saying.
If in doubt, just remember what I said about the enslavement. It’s amazing how subjugation changes what people say (openly) about you.
Ohai, you really do seem to enjoy throwing wet blankets on people whenever possible. Or is it just extra bad on Friday 13th. 
Yes, you might be right, but most people are smart enough to figure out that CFA might end up being a waste of time, but if they haven’t thought about that by now, and come to a conclusion about it, nothing you say is likely to change that.
Just because something can be argued doesn’t mean it should be argued.
I’m not saying it’s necessarily true for this guy, but there’s nothing wrong with mentioning a possible outcome. In fact, wouldn’t it be irresponsible to *not* consider a negative outcome?
Also, surprised that you are basically saying “don’t state your opinion”. That’s the opposite of what a forum is for.
My in law are also not supportive. my mother in law rather see me just mothering her granddaughter and cook for her son. They don’t understand why I take exam while 8 months pregnant. I don’t even try to explain. because it feels like I am defending myself.
Ok, first of all, I did insert a smiley to try to indicate that my criticism - while real - was not intended to slam you for your post. That continues to be my basic attitude, but I’ll explain my thinking in more detail.
The guy has an MSF and wants to do a CFA. He’s clearly dedicated to the field to be doing that and while the CFA wont’ guarantee him a job, it’s much more likely that it will help him than many other people who start the process.
His inlaws are upset that he doesn’t seem to have enough time/attention to devote to his wife - which is something that is very imaginable, even if the CFA is exactly what he needs to move ahead…
…and your first serious suggestion to him, after this evidence is “well, maybe they’re right (with the implication that it would be better to give up)?”
…if the guy had a pain in his leg, would your advice be “Well, it could be terminal bone cancer, just sayin’.” It’s certainly a possibility… therefore it would be irresponsible not to list it? Let’s try to offer advice in the order of liklihoods.
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I don’t attack your right to state your opinion, but I question your judgement and motive for saying it. It seems like it was said more out of the fun of dumping cold water on this guy rather than to offer an honest analysis of his situation. There’s nothing prohibited about that here, but I thought it was a cheap shot at someone else’s expense, and that’s why I said what I said.
The forum is for opinions, but it is also for the CFA and CFA candidate community to support each other, and while that doesn’t mean that it isn’t appropriate to dissuade people from investing large amounts of time if there is clear evidence that it will be useless for them, in this case, he has a problem that is not unknown in this group, even for those who will almost certainly benefit from the charter, and my opinion is that he deserves the benefit of the doubt on its usefulness.
Anyway… I like a lot of your other posts… it’s just that I don’t like these ones so much. And you are free to put your opinion, and I’ll be free to disagree with it (on those occasions when I do).
Thanks Bchadwick for the support. It remains to be seen if there will be a true payoff from completing the CFA program. I worked as a broker for a major wirehouse firm for several years and then got out of that racket to work as a business analyst for the same firm. Now I work for a RIA firm that has a little over $1.2B under management. I don’t know if that is where I would like to stay or not. It is an opportunity where I might be able to buy in to the practice at some point, so it may be a tremendous opportunity. We shall see. My real motivation for getting the CFA charter was to obtain a highly respected credential in Finance. Nothing more or less. Honestly, the CFP would be more suited for the field I am currently in and I would probably be in the same spot whether I started the CFA program or not with simply my MSF. Hopefuly I complete the program this June and can move on to the next chapter of my life. Thanks again for the support and advice.
bchad, I think you’re taking ohai too seriously…
Perhaps… as someone who technically has the power to nuke threads and such, I guess I got a little sensitive to the suggestion that I was trying to suppress the free expression of opinion here and maybe took it all too seriously.
So, hopefully ohai is not offended and all can return to normal.
For me, all comments tend to have some element of truth, being an internet forum, people are more able to express themselves without filter which can ferret out what people really want to say about something. Disagreement to an extent can be healthy
I myself was surprised by your criticism though, it was slightly off character…
Pretty much, most people in my life have been very supportive because they know I am trying to achieve something. The only people who have commented negatively are the ones who don’t really care to improve their lot in life.