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mba or CFA???

vikramsj

Joined
6/11/09
Messages
19
Points
11
Currently I possess a Masters in Quantitative Finance, and am working full time at a credit shop. My company sponsors mba's but I am wondering if perhaps in this current market if a CFA is more worth the time/effort. I am trying to assess what are the pro's and con's of each. What are the typical career paths for CFA holders? and about how much dedication towards the test is needed?
 
MBAs of course can specialize in various business areas and are hired for a large variety of roles. I think prestige and alumni play a big role in the value of an MBA and don't know which programs you have access to. A big pro of MBA programs is the flexibility and for you the fact that your company will pay for it.

CFAs usually start out in analyst roles, eventually moving into fund management. Officially they say 250-300 study hours for Level 1 but I have heard of people spending far less, it all depends on what you currently know and how fast you learn.

Many companies will sponsor employees for the CFA if they feel it is necessary. I don't know your career aspirations but I would recommend going with the MBA since your company will sponsor you.
 
this is an interesting topic. You have an MFE type of degree, correct? If you don't mind, from which school?

It seems that your current degree didn't improve your life as much as you wanted so you want to get an MBA or CFA now, correct? Does your company sponsors the CFA as well?
 
Am done with Msc. Finance and Investment. Even am planning to do CFA as it specializes in finance more than MBA IMO.

Also there are some institution that provide CFA+MBA.

I would like to know more ideas about it too.
 
vikramsj said:
Currently I possess a Masters in Quantitative Finance, and am working full time at a credit shop. My company sponsors mba's but I am wondering if perhaps in this current market if a CFA is more worth the time/effort. I am trying to assess what are the pro's and con's of each. What are the typical career paths for CFA holders? and about how much dedication towards the test is needed?
Click to expand...

why do you want to do CFA after doing a masters in quantitative finance? MBA is a different course altogether. I think you have to figure out what exactly you want to do before pursuing a course. Time is a bigger investment!
 
alain said:
this is an interesting topic. You have an MFE type of degree, correct? If you don't mind, from which school?

It seems that your current degree didn't improve your life as much as you wanted so you want to get an MBA or CFA now, correct? Does your company sponsors the CFA as well?
Click to expand...


I have a MS from Columbia and it certainly improved my life. I am contemplating another degree or certification to give myself more career mobility in the future. I do enjoy quant work, but if its one thing I've learned from my rigorous job search, is the need to be flexible. I don't think my company sponsors CFA because I currently do not work in asset management.

While this field is of interest, my concern is about time. I could finish an MBA in roughly 2 years, while a CFA could take considerably longer (assuming I complete each level). So I am trying to gauge the mobility and career options I would have if I chose one route or the other.
 
vikramsj said:
I have a MS from Columbia and it certainly improved my life. I am contemplating another degree or certification to give myself more career mobility in the future. I do enjoy quant work, but if its one thing I've learned from my rigorous job search, is the need to be flexible. I don't think my company sponsors CFA because I currently do not work in asset management.

While this field is of interest, my concern is about time. I could finish an MBA in roughly 2 years, while a CFA could take considerably longer (assuming I complete each level). So I am trying to gauge the mobility and career options I would have if I chose one route or the other.
Click to expand...

Flexibility to do what? If you want to get into management and think MBA would help improve your management skills, go for a MBA. If you think there are gaps in your masters degree in quantitative finance that CFA would fill, then go for CFA. But CFA and MBA are very different. It really depends on what you want to do... there are lots of careers and degrees to choose from..
 
plz tell

confused..plz help

i have 3.5 years of exp in electrical engineering field (vlsi) in india, after that did msee from the usa, now graduated and not able to find a job in the vlsi domain....plan to change the career, finance or business analyst or marketing/sales??
in msee, i have courses like matrix algebra, modeling of transistors using MATLAB......
any suggestions what career path should i take ??
 
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