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Old 27-09-2011, 06:12 PM
madgoat
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1) The hospitality industry does not pay well and as i move on in life (marriage, home, family, etc) my financial obligations are in time going to take up a larger proportion of my salary (which sadly currently, my salary is lesser than that of a fresh grad )
To start off, how much exactly are you drawing a month now? I ask this because I realise everyone seems to be complaining being underpaid and a lot of times this stems from unrealistic expectations rather than really be paid poorly.

Quote:
2) I feel a sense of career stagnation. Do i move on to another job? If so what job? I would still love to do some form of financial research though it seems given my academic background and job experience i am doubtful any company would give the chance to an individual no matter how much they are willing to learn or step up to the role. Or should i take 'upgrade' myself academically so as to get that first job towards that in financial research? This itself leads to a whole bunch of questions of whether to take a MBA/CFA/ MFE
You mentioned that you failed CFA L1 twice. Did you fail because you lacked the time to study? This is very important because in all honesty CFA L1&L2 are like Finance101. They are very simple and most people who are numbers inclined should pass it quite easily, so CFA accredition is more like bare minimum requirement in the Finance industry rather than a selling point.

If you failed because you did not study, then I urge you to work hard and make sure you pass on the third try as this is really bare basics. However, if you have studied and still failed twice, it may be an indication that you really are not cut out to be a financial analyst. Nothing wrong with that of course, but you will likely drown in the competition and work if you are now struggling to even pass L1.

Another thing I would also like to add, and this is speaking from experience, financial analysis does not equate to being a good stock picker. The world is full off analysts who write fancy reports and make stock calls that become the butt of everyone's jokes later on. Business acumen is the key successful ingredient for many successful investors / traders, not financial analysis.

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