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Careers,Job & Education - CFA/QFA/Masters etc Questions Go Here

  • 12-11-2009 8:55pm
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 834 ✭✭✭


    I was just wondering if people on here would be willing to share their careers with leaving cert students in the leaving cert sub-forum. We are looking for people with all kinds of jobs relating to investments and markets, economics, finance, etc.

    Any help would be appreciated, just start a new thread in the forum explaining about your job, pros and cons, etc. AFAIK there is a template in the forum charter for you to list information under.

    Cheers in advance.


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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 2,436 ✭✭✭ixus


    Great idea.

    I'll sticky this for a while.

    Ixus


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 702 ✭✭✭Lexus1976


    Reillyman wrote: »
    I was just wondering if people on here would be willing to share their careers with leaving cert students in the leaving cert sub-forum. We are looking for people with all kinds of jobs relating to investments and markets, economics, finance, etc.

    Any help would be appreciated, just start a new thread in the forum explaining about your job, pros and cons, etc. AFAIK there is a template in the forum charter for you to list information under.

    Cheers in advance.

    Done.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6 Nokem


    Hi all,

    Iv found the careers section on the trade2win.co.uk website quite educational for anyone interested in discovering the details involved in some finance jobs.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 202 ✭✭girvtheswerve


    As someone with a degree and no experience in trading or investments are these worth doing to enhance job prospects? I have no experience as i say but i do have an interest in trading etc. Interested to see replies of traders etc thus why i posted in this forum. Cheers.


  • Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators Posts: 9,921 Mod ✭✭✭✭Jim2007


    It might help if you told us what your degree is.......


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 202 ✭✭girvtheswerve


    BA in english and economics


  • Registered Users Posts: 599 ✭✭✭day dreamer


    Hi folks,

    I couldnt find this on on the forum but I am sure it must be there somewhere.

    I want to take a beginners course in investment so that I understand more about what my pension is doing and hopefully become more clued in as to where and what to invest in. I know from bitter experience that most advice is commission driven so I dont mind paying if it is impartial and worthwhile.

    Not sure if I can post a name but have been recommended a course linked to a well known investment website, so will send a PM if anyone can help

    Thanks in advance


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 113 ✭✭UpAgainToday


    As someone with a degree and no experience in trading or investments are these worth doing to enhance job prospects? I have no experience as i say but i do have an interest in trading etc. Interested to see replies of traders etc thus why i posted in this forum. Cheers.

    Since you have no experience what interests you about trading?


  • Registered Users Posts: 19,547 ✭✭✭✭Cyrus


    As someone with a degree and no experience in trading or investments are these worth doing to enhance job prospects? I have no experience as i say but i do have an interest in trading etc. Interested to see replies of traders etc thus why i posted in this forum. Cheers.

    im not being smart at all, and i hope it isnt taken that way,

    but have you researched the exams etc, they are regarded as being some of the toughest professional exams out there, i wouldnt be taking them on lightly, especially if your primary degree gives you no background in finance


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,803 ✭✭✭dunkamania


    The qualification is most sought after in people applying for Research (ie equity analyst) or Asset managment jobs. I would say that it hasnt traditionally been a trader qualification, although the number of traders taking the exams is increasing, that i can see.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 351 ✭✭jenga-jen


    I'm hoping someone can help me :)

    I'm just wondering how to go about studying for the QFAs? Do I need to be working in banking or similar in order to get the qualification?

    Background: I've a 1.1 in Software Engineering and 2 years IT Audit experience with one of the Big4 accountancy firms.

    Thanks!


  • Registered Users Posts: 19,547 ✭✭✭✭Cyrus


    jenga-jen wrote: »
    I'm hoping someone can help me :)

    I'm just wondering how to go about studying for the QFAs? Do I need to be working in banking or similar in order to get the qualification?

    Background: I've a 1.1 in Software Engineering and 2 years IT Audit experience with one of the Big4 accountancy firms.

    Thanks!

    surely your first port of call would the qfa website???

    http://www.qfaboard.ie/qfa_detail.htm


  • Registered Users Posts: 111 ✭✭ofjames


    Anyone know of any good information sources regarding the exams that need to be completed to become an 'approved person' with the FSA?

    I'm a chartered accountant and a level 3 CFA candidate for June 2011 and anticipate that I will be job searching in London soon after I do the exam.

    If there was a degree of overlap in terms of the Securities & Deriviatives material for Level 3 I was thinking I might take the relevant regulatory papers around the same time?

    Any advice/information will be much appreciated


  • Registered Users Posts: 8 jhn_nolan


    Sorry to hijack but ofjames I would be very interested in hearing about the steps you went to get the CA and to level 3 - did you do a masters, did you do the CFA after the accounting etc. Am thinking about doing the CFA when I get my CA but seems to be a lot of study to do full time with no study leave.

    Also what kind of position/benefits do you hope to gain with the CFA as opposed to just having the CA qualification?

    Thanks in advance!


  • Registered Users Posts: 111 ✭✭ofjames


    Background is Degree then Masters in Accounting. Passed my FAE last Autumn then CFA level 1 in December and Level 2 in June just gone. Luckily my firm facilitated me with a mixture of unpaid and annual leave so that i had 4 weeks off to study for the 2 CFA's. Wouldnt have been doable without it.

    I finish my training contract next month. No specific investment role in mind, only prerequisites being better pay and more interesting then audit.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 451 ✭✭seven-iron


    of james i want to work in VC and private funding after i qualify. Could you explain how doing the cfa's could help me. Still fae's to do at the moment.


  • Registered Users Posts: 256 ✭✭hoff1


    Hi Im thinking about doing the qfas, I have a degree in accounting and was just wondering how many exams could you sit in one sitting


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,397 ✭✭✭Goodluck2me


    hoff1 wrote: »
    Hi Im thinking about doing the qfas, I have a degree in accounting and was just wondering how many exams could you sit in one sitting

    I reckon 3 qfas at a time are sittable. I'd say 5 qfa are similar to one cfa from my experience.

    3&3QFA would be the quickest way to do it if you put the work in.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,710 ✭✭✭RoadKillTs


    Lads any opinions on this course?

    Was considering doing it next year. Would love to get trained in this area and thought this course would be a good one to start with.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 21 Jowlsy


    ofjames how difficult did you find the CFA level 1? I've read the recommendation is 250hrs study.

    also did you purchase the Schweser study pack from Kaplan UK or another source?


  • Registered Users Posts: 226 ✭✭whysomoody


    Jowlsy wrote: »
    ofjames how difficult did you find the CFA level 1? I've read the recommendation is 250hrs study.

    also did you purchase the Schweser study pack from Kaplan UK or another source?

    very tough in terms of workload the material is fine once you have done some sort fo finance before, it covers most of those types of questions.

    300 hours is what most would recommend, and going through that it's hard to disagree. Do not underestimate how much volume is in the course.


  • Registered Users Posts: 111 ✭✭ofjames


    the syllabus is quite broad but the material isnt that difficult. for instance, i didnt see anything new in the quants or economics, corporate finance parts of the syllabus then what i'd covered as part of modules in my undergraduate degree. so if you have done a business or finance related degree you should have covered most of the syllabus before in some shape or form.

    i'm not sure how many hrs i spent studying, i didnt count them. suffice to say it required considerable time and effort anyway. its not a walk in the park but it is certainly not impossible by any manner of means


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 24 littletony


    studying for a degree in business with 59% average i want to either go into trading/investment banking or accountancy preferably big 4.

    Would the professional diploma in stockbroking or the qfa diploma provided by the institute of bankers be of any use to me in getting into these industries ?

    In a big 4 company or investment banks eg goldman sachs would it be looked very favourably upon to have these qualifications.

    Is there any other qualifications which i could complete instead of these that would look better on my cv?
    any advice for someone starting out in these careers
    Any advice?


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,435 ✭✭✭christeb


    The Dip in stockbroking is pretty much useless I would imagine. Can't say mre than that. I have an ACCA DipFM which I found great (and very tough), not sure how good it is for industry though.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 657 ✭✭✭Shauny2010


    Have a look at the masters in Computational Finance at The university of Limerick; Its a though enough course but so far theres been a 100% employment record from it. Most have got jobs in London even before they've graduated. One thing though you need to have a solid maths base for this course


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,469 ✭✭✭Mr_Roger_Bongos


    Get the head down and try to get the best degree mark possible. A 1st and a good cv will open most doors for an interview, the rest is up to you!


  • Registered Users Posts: 288 ✭✭mono627


    Networking could possibly be the best thing you can do in a job market like this. Actually knowing some-one in the business will go a long, long way.

    Jobs are extremely competitive in the industries you have mentioned so you should always be on the look-out for that little advantage that could put you ahead of the next person applying for the same job.

    Best of luck and don't forget to network like a ninja.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,287 ✭✭✭SBWife


    TBH with grades like that I wouldn't give you a look in for either stockbroking or IB.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,803 ✭✭✭dunkamania


    CFA for investments/trading


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