There comes a time when important decisions become inevitable and I have reached this milestone. For those amongst you who are working in the financial sector, I need your feedback.
Even though I have a successful career as a project lead in a customer centric position for the past 3 years, I need to move on to a new challenge. I am in my early 30’s and there’s no need to stick to a field I no longer enjoy for the next 20 years knowing there is something else I enjoy. What I would like to do is to discover the best path that I can take in order to make the move into the financial/banking sector.
For example, is a degree in finance absolutely necessary to work at financial institutions such as Macquarie for example? Would a certificate do the job? What would it take to occupy a research associate job for a start? My experience would come in handy as my current position involves communication skills, leadership skills and project management skills.
I believe the CFA would open a lot of doors. Can the first level or two open the door or will it take the whole 3 exams (3 years at least) before it becomes valuable? Is there an entry position one can occupy while credentials are built in parallel?
I know that many amongst you work in the financial sector and particularly in the field that I blog about. Please feel free to leave a comment or contact me in private at beatingtheindex [at] gmail.com. Your feedback is appreciated as I try to weigh in my options.
Thanks in advance!