Navigating Your Career After Clearing CFA Level 1: Should You Get a Job or Not?
To be very honest, it depends on where you are located. CFA Level 1 can land you a low-level job in the finance industry, but the pay won’t be huge. While I am commenting this solely based on CFA Level 1, ignoring other aspects like how many years of experience you have and your other skills and achievements, I would advise you to clear at least CFA Level 2 Exam to get into decent roles and a big firm.
Do People Get Jobs After Clearing CFA Level 1?
People do get jobs after clearing CFA Level 1, but the irony is that they don’t get a job solely because they cleared CFA Level 1.
Most CFA candidates look for "core finance" profiles such as valuations, investment banking, and equity research, but the real problem is that CFA would just suffice as a theoretical version of what actually takes place inside corporations and investment banks. Thus, there’s a minimal chance of getting a job just because you cleared Level 1.
The Real Challenges
Moreover, investment banks usually do not hire beyond MBA campuses or some dedicated institutes that provide short-term training in investment banking. This is another big hurdle to overcome.
The Way Out
So, the way out is to have real job skills and great contacts in the industry, which can be quite difficult if you’re almost a fresher. If you don’t have the privilege of a top-tier MBA campus placement, your only option is to pursue a short-term training program, around 40-50 days in investment banking from a reputed institute. Examples of such institutes include Quintedge, Edupristine, and Imarticus.
According to my knowledge, only Quintedge has been known for following the most transparent placement process by providing the real LinkedIn IDs of the candidates who have been placed through them on their very own placement page. However, you might want to do your own research while choosing one!
I was a student of their 10th batch. Almost 40 students were Level-1 cleared. Some of my batchmates got placed at boutique IB firms such as CRISIL and WNS. Jobs are all about networking. You’ll realize it once you’re in the industry.
Hope this helps!