Hey AF-er’s First up, my condolences to every one who didn’t make it… My dad passed away last Saturday 16th, finally succumbing to a long battle with cancer,and he was the biggest supporter of me getting the charter. He was a chartered accountant and FD of a huge mutinational corp and he even considered doing the CFA exams a few years ago. Anyways, my dad was really ill for the last 5 years, going on and off chemo,radiotherapy and various operations over that time-but i’ll never forget when i passed Level 1 last year and told him and saw the look in his eye. I was in the final year of my Finance undergrad while doing level 1, and looking after him at the same time-so there was a shite load of pressure on me, and i don’t care what anyone says, but him being proud of me and hugging me at that moment was one of the best in my life. Looking at the “fail” on my PC after my dad’s passing just made me put into perspective what these exams are really about. Sure, they’re important and getting the charter is almost definitely gonna help our careers… But, don’t neglect loved ones while you study. I often would come home ( my dad moved up to stay with the family since he was so ill) say hi to my dad briefly then hit the books. He’d come into my study, talk to me about stuff and i was just too focused on this exam. Sometimes, he’d ask me to teach him a guitar riff, and i’d almost ALWAYS be feeling the pressure, and woul;d rush through whatever i was doing with him. My point is, now, i realise this was just a friggen test, and i missed out on spending time with the person i loved most on this planet. And there’s no going back. So, i’m gonna kill this exam next year, and Level 3 the following year, for my dad. But i’m gonna do it on my terms and not let it consume me like it did this year. I know i’m venting, but eff it-rather out than in. So who’s with me?>>>Let’s make 2009 our Beeyotch.
Sha…very sorry to hear that. I am with you to break this out. It does hurt to remember your dad’s feeling. But Do not feel guilty about it. We all had just 2 ways and there was no middle way. Your dad would surely have been happy when you passed L1, which you could have never given him w/o the hardwork you had put in. Some people say it right - Do give enough time to your families atleast till a few months before the exam.
Sha_CFA- my heart goes out to you and your family. i lost my younger brother to cancer 9/20/05… it’s an awful disease. you will kill the test next year, you’ll have a little extra motivation to do it for your dad, and no matter what happens… it’s a test. something this huge puts it into perspective. be there with and for your family now, and when it’s time to get back in gear, we’ll all be here with you with the same goal ahead as your extended dork family. i hope that you’re holding up ok and i’m sure your dad will be smiling down as you push towards your goals and dreams going forward. big hugs.
Sha and nodes, It’s really moving to read posts like this. And Sha, as you clearly pointed out, it is only an exam. Life doesn’t revolve around passing an exam. Sure, it’s important to do our part as far as studying is concerned, but it’s more important to avoid neglecting our loved ones. Anyhoo, I’m in with you guys. I failed on my first attempt this June, and am determined to not only pass this exam, but ace it! Together we can take this biyatch down!
This is a great post and you have a great perspective on it. Sorry for your dad’s passing. I’m sure he’s up there somewhere rooting you on for sure. It really does but things in perspective and you are 100% on with it only being a test. It’s been sucky having to come back after a fail and visit the AF forum and see all the big contributors move on to L3 and we stay here at L2. This year I plan to ace L2, while spending great time with my family, exercising, and building the business. Sorry again for your loss but you’ll get revenge on L2 this time around.
Hey Sha_CFA , you wouldn’t believe but I had a very similar experience this year . My dad was ill but we did a hundred test and no one knew why and a week before the exam , I got a call to come to my home country to see him because my mom said it didn’t look to good she then told me it was cancer he had. We were all shocked. I asked if she was sure because I knew if I left now that would be it regarding passing the exam and asked if she couldn’t hold on for one more week. She told me she wasn;t sure but I should still come. I practically took all my vacation to study for this…put all eggs in one basket. That same night I got on a plane and flew home. I am so glad I did because I got a chance to spend some time with him and the Thursday before the exam he passed away. It was such a shock, because when I arrived the doctor said he had 6 months. God knew I was suppose to be there. You wouldn’t believe but I was able to transfer the test centre to my home country. I took the exam on the Saturday, didn’t know how it did it . I didn’t pass but I glad I tried. I wouldn’t trade those few days before his passing for 6months of CFA pain if you know what I mean. Family is sooo important. Everyone has things that happens to them but I trust in God for strength to retry again for L2.
Sha, i am sorry for your loss. i lost my father to lung cancer 6 years ago when i was in my midtwenties. so i can more than imagine what you went/are going through. from my experience, the guilt and feeling like you did not spend enough time with them is one of the worst feelings in the world, and probably the hardest part of losing a loved one. i’m still crushed when i think about how many times i turned down my dad’s offer to play golf so i can go fck around with my friends on the weekends. but rest assured your dad understood. in fact, i guarantee you he was proud of how his son was so focused on the test at such a young age. (which is pretty awesome, by the way.) do not beat yourself up. spend time with the family. and you will beat this test next year… i will be rooting for you, man.
So sorry to hear about your invaluable loss Sha_CFA, bannisja, nodes, VanTrini, cfasf1. Family is always on the top of my list and then comes everything else.
Sorry to hear about all the loss up above. Damn, horrible to lose people so early. Let’s keep our fingers crossed too for the ones that are still going through some tough situations like mwvt9, busprof and some other AF’rs that are slipping my memory.
This post made me senti… I am sure we will all nail this exam in 09 for us and for our folks, who have and will always be proud of us no matter what.
My condolences to everyone that lost someone. It is truly amazing that all of you were able to take the exam under such duress. I failed miserably and this time around it is the “Road to Redemption.” I retired my old sn ghettofabwong and plan to be more of a contributor this time around.
Hey… sorry to hear about your dad, sha_CFA… I’m gonna make 2009 my beeyotch too … let’s make it together
dinesh.sundrani Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > So sorry to hear about your invaluable loss > Sha_CFA, bannisja, nodes, VanTrini, cfasf1. > > Family is always on the top of my list and then > comes everything else. ================ Sha_CFA , my condolences with you but dinesh i dont agree with you, your goals should be always your top priority if you want to succeed in life everything esle takes a back seat
This post really hits it home for me. My mom suffered a heart attack in April, since she is still so young, I was mortified but still kept preparing for level II. It is not until after the exam that my mom told me she had a second heart attack and was hospitalized a week before my exam. She was worried about how it would effect me and both her and my dad decided not to tell me til after the exam. I always knew my parents love me and support me in everything I do, and this incident proves that I am not wrong to have made their happiness my happiness in my life’s pursuit thus far. I will continue to fight for my sake and their happiness.
this is a very moving post. my heart goes out to you Sha, and to everyone who have had to go through some form of difficulty in the course of preparing for the exams.
I agree that this is a moving post. I’m sorry for your loss. I am surprised to learn how many people deal with situations like this at such a young age. I think you have a great outlook on the last two levels. It is very easy to get caught up in taking every free moment to study, but don’t let it happen. I will be pulling for you Sha.
good luck man. I’ll be with you for the next 9 months or so.
I can feel the sentiments, as I’ve had very similar experiences. Just by the way, a good point could be made here. We should always keep a balance in our lives. When it comes to “success”, it really depends how people define this word. To me, it’s far from just material gains / professional accomplishments. Indeed, I have seen many (so called) “successful professionals” who lead a miserable life in their caves, almost always worried about making more and more money, every single day! This is true that money is one of the most important things in your life and to some extent, it can make you happy. However, few people actually realize that once they develop a kind of attitude that’s like ……hey, i should have more!.. look at this other guy… he’s so rich….he’s so happy….look at his lifestyle….wow…I envy all this…etc…etc!! In other words, we are NEVER content with what we have and the fact is, even sky is not the limit here!! The funny thing is that mostly we are in this state without realizing that we are already off the track! This is exactly where we unconsciously or consciously, start taking the most beautiful gifts of our lives for granted. Although it is perfectly healthy to strive for better living, but I think the real success and happiness comes when we are simply honest to ourselves about our efforts to achieve whatever material goals we have, which would certainly produce results, and more importantly, are able to appreciate the value of human relationships and love, for nothing is more pure and real than the true love, which is always there in one form or another, we just need to feel it to realize its value! Certainly, those who lack love are the unfortunate!! Cheers.
Sha, Your words are an inspiration. This year’s exam is not only for me, but for you too, bro’.
Wow. Everyone…you guys are amazing. Thanks so much for your kind words, i’d like to thank everyone personally but there’s just so many of you. But seriously, to everyone, THANKS. I’m probably gonna register sometime this month and take a slow approach like Bannis said she’s doing in another post, but i look forward to getting to know all u guys over the next few months. i was band 7 by the way, so looks like i still got a bit to do for the 2nd time around. BUT, on a brighter note…i’m going to my dad’s favourite place on holiday this December for a holiday-Copacabana-Brazil to leave some of my dads ashes there…>>>anyone who’s gonna be there gimme a shout! Good luck studying guys and girls…and more importanty, i hope all of us never lose sight of the important things in life, and are always able to see things in perspective. Peace.