3 is out. ms excel is seriously outdated. industry standard now going in R, SAS, SPSS.

2 is a waste of money. true data scientists are statisticians and mathematicians. you will fight with them, your past experience gone down to waste, and your five figure wish will take longer to complete.

1. CFA can lead you to CFO, risk management and portfolio manager roles. no doubt it's tough. go for it.