Hi. I am an audit associate at EY with a master's degree in commerce from university of Delhi. I want to pursue a
CFA or CPA or a combination of both?
Answers
For a career in investment banking, a CFA is better since it focuses primarily on the investment field. An MBA in finance covers a broader range of finance topics and can prepare you for a variety of other careers in finance. Having a CFA, MBA, and CPA will certainly help you to stand out. It just depends on where you want to go in your career and the educational requirements of the jobs that you pursue.
Agree with post above. CFA if pursuing the investment route and CPA if pursuing public
I have all three, MBA, CPA and CFA and it depends on your career path. If you want to be in
I have an MBA and CMA and passed level I of the CFA before deciding I really wasn't interested in being a stock analyst in the telecom industry (where I had 10 years of experience.)
The first level of the CFA is pretty broad but levels 2 and 3 really specialize in security analysis and portfolio management, respectively. The CFA is definitely the preferred certification on Wall Street. A CPA or CMA really doesn't provide a lot of value-added.
An MBA is also pretty much required but it should be from a top 20 or 30 school. Really, it needs to be from a top-10 finance program. An MBA from a school known for
But, you already have a masters degree so perhaps you can do a 1-year program. UCLA has a 13-month MFE and they are known for Finance. My alma mater (sales pitch here), the University of Rochester, has a 1-year Masters in financial engineering in NY. John Hopkins, USC and many others have the 1-year's MS in Finance. The dirty secret is that these are much easier to get into than an elite MBA program but you get the same professors.
Focus on CFA first and your career. I know a recent alum from my business school who is an Indian national and he is doing valuation work for EY in Los Angeles. I think leveraging off your experience with EY is more valuable than another masters degree.
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