nope, anybody have a degree or even just in their final year can sit for the exam, but in order to become a charter hoder you need 4 years of relevant working experiences.
It took me 5 years to complete my CFA ('cause I failed a couple tests.) If you are looking to get into fund management or advisory-type work, having made some progress in the CFA program is a definite plus. That I know from direct experience.
that is if you dont have a grad degree/MBA, if you do CFA is a complete waste of time. If you are going to study for a minimum of 3 years, a good part-time MBA is a better way to go as well.
Seems like S&P would perfer their equity analyst to have a MBA and CFA http://careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/...30;CHL=AL;QS=SID_UNKNOWN;SS=NO;TITL=0;JQT=RAD
if you have a top grad degree, CFA is a waste of time period. Good MBA covers all of CFA's material and lots more, including financial accounting, if you take more than one course in this area. thats why if you are looking for an interesting designation thats not taking forever to get and doesnt include repetitive material you have already learned, go for the CAIA. is S&P, all other things being equal, going to hire. 1) No name MBA with CFA 2) Ivy league/top MBA without CFA answer that question and there is your answer how much the CFA is worth.
Hate to tell you guys but according to AIMR's new requirements you must have at least fours years of experience, where you spend at least 50% of your time directly involved in the investment decision making process. If you can explain how you can do that while working in a different industry I am all ears. True you can take the test but you can't obtain or use the designation. What does this mean ? Well if you are working in audit, accounting, compliance, back office, clearing, etc... You are now out of luck. Unless of course you want to spend a minimum of 7 years.
If that's what you meant, then you should've said that you can't get the designation but that you can enroll in the program.
So which is it? In one post you say that a part-time MBA is better, and here you're talking about an Ivy League MBA. I agree the latter is better than a CFA designation, but I disagree about the former.