Shirley8592081
New Member
Hi, I am really really new to finance industry ... don't know what is the first step to begin ... don't have any background in the field ... what do you recommend ? Many thanks
FAQ Before Exam New to finance - Where to begin
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afterworkguinness
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Hi Shirley,
That's a tough question to answer. It depends a lot on you and what you are trying to achieve.
The FRM charter (which this site is dedicated towards) is a rather specific corse of study in risk; that said risk management is not an island and the course covers topics outside of risk, such as a lot of products common in the financial industry and their idiosyncrasies. At the end of the day though, it's focus is on risk - understanding causes of it and ways to best work with it.
If you wanted to purse the FRM, with a large allotment of time, and willingness to research things you don't understand at first, the FRM could definitely be achieved, especially with the resources from BionicTurtle (paid and free) (*I'm not affiliated with BionicTurtle, just a happy returning customer)
If you are looking for a more well rounded course on finance, there is the CFA. It too is an advanced charter.
To give yourself an introduction to finance, there are many books you can find on Amazon I'm sure.
In Canada, there is the Canadian Securities course which is an intro to finance and required for many client facing practitioners of finance in Canada. If you can find the two texts for it on Ebay, I highly recommend it as an intro to finance course. It starts with the basics and gives you a solid foundation. There isn't too much Canadian specific stuff in it either.
That's a tough question to answer. It depends a lot on you and what you are trying to achieve.
The FRM charter (which this site is dedicated towards) is a rather specific corse of study in risk; that said risk management is not an island and the course covers topics outside of risk, such as a lot of products common in the financial industry and their idiosyncrasies. At the end of the day though, it's focus is on risk - understanding causes of it and ways to best work with it.
If you wanted to purse the FRM, with a large allotment of time, and willingness to research things you don't understand at first, the FRM could definitely be achieved, especially with the resources from BionicTurtle (paid and free) (*I'm not affiliated with BionicTurtle, just a happy returning customer)
If you are looking for a more well rounded course on finance, there is the CFA. It too is an advanced charter.
To give yourself an introduction to finance, there are many books you can find on Amazon I'm sure.
In Canada, there is the Canadian Securities course which is an intro to finance and required for many client facing practitioners of finance in Canada. If you can find the two texts for it on Ebay, I highly recommend it as an intro to finance course. It starts with the basics and gives you a solid foundation. There isn't too much Canadian specific stuff in it either.
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I guess the answer depends a bit on where you are now. Are you already working in Financial Services or is your goal to move in that direction?
If you're already working, then these professional qualifications are a good thing to have on your CV. The value attached to each is dependent on which area within finance you're working/you want to work.
CFA is very voluminous but not particularly in-depth. It covers a great deal superficially and is a good general starting point. It is widely recognised and a large proportion of middle/front office staff will have it. However, if you're interested in more technical aspects such as Quant or Risk Management, the FRM is better and more valued as it covers topics relevant to these areas in more detail.
If you're not already working in Finance but want to move in that direction then these qualifications will help you get to grips with the concepts. In my opinion, FRM will be trickier than the CFA for you if you literally have no finance knowledge. CFA spoons feeds you nice, digestible chunks.
If you're still at university or trying to break into Finance, internships are the way to go. The practical experience gained is extremely valuable, much more so than any professional qualification. Plus you get to see what it's really like! (Hint: Often quite different to the media image!)
Hope that helps.
If you're already working, then these professional qualifications are a good thing to have on your CV. The value attached to each is dependent on which area within finance you're working/you want to work.
CFA is very voluminous but not particularly in-depth. It covers a great deal superficially and is a good general starting point. It is widely recognised and a large proportion of middle/front office staff will have it. However, if you're interested in more technical aspects such as Quant or Risk Management, the FRM is better and more valued as it covers topics relevant to these areas in more detail.
If you're not already working in Finance but want to move in that direction then these qualifications will help you get to grips with the concepts. In my opinion, FRM will be trickier than the CFA for you if you literally have no finance knowledge. CFA spoons feeds you nice, digestible chunks.
If you're still at university or trying to break into Finance, internships are the way to go. The practical experience gained is extremely valuable, much more so than any professional qualification. Plus you get to see what it's really like! (Hint: Often quite different to the media image!)
Hope that helps.
