Yes. Let me run through it level by level.

The L1 exam is multiple choice but has wide syllabus: all asset classes, Corporate Finance, Economics, Financial Reporting and Analysis, Quantitative Methods, and even a heavily weighted (and tricky!) section on Ethics. Although slightly general in nature, I have found it to be great primer to people without a traditional finance/business background. It ensured that I was on solid ground, be it a lunch with the boss or day to day business meetings. Suddenly the Financial Times started making sense to me.

L2 is where you get deep into valuation methods across asset classes. Your ability to read Financial statements is strongly tested here. The curious thing is that valuations come up very often in business, even if you are not working in finance and that the ability to think about the ‘value’ is a huge plus to have.

L3 is very heavy on Portfolio Management and Wealth Planning. What makes it harder is that half of L3 is a subjective exam, so the ability to give ‘to the point’ answers while keeping an eye on the clock is key. Although, I wasn’t going to Portfolio/Wealth Manager anytime soon, the syllabus was great training for getting a big picture view of these jobs.

You’ve got a CFA & are now pursuing an MBA degree, what is the advantage of doing both

Two things drove me to earn the CFA designation: the desire to expand my knowledge (coming as I did from an Engineering background) and to differentiate myself from other applicants in the job market. At that time, it was important for me establish myself in the industry.

Similarly, while the MBA is learning about Operations/Strategy/Negotiations/Change Management/ How Organizations work etc. and breaking into new sectors/geographies; it is also about Networking among people from diverse backgrounds and learning from their experiences. Thus, the MBA makes me a more ‘compete’ person.

Also, the brand recognition of a top MBA and the avenues it opens up can be a huge plus in the long run.

In summary: (MBA = Broad and General Skills) and (CFA= Deep and Specific Financial Skills). So the MBA lets me build on my finance expertise and gives me the choice to break into new areas: General Management, Consulting or go back in finance, albeit with a steeper career trajectory.

What are the pre-requisites to do the CFA exam?

For L1, you can start in the last year of your Bachelor’s program and once you finish your degree, you can sit for L2. You can sit for L3 the next year but note that the charter is awarded only after you have 4 years of approved work experience. Remember that L2 and L3 are only conducted once a year in June, so you cannot rush your way through the charter

So how did you prepare for it? Did you take any financial or economics courses?

I relied on CFA Institute provide books for L1 and studied in a study group with another friend of mine (who is now taking the IAS exam!). Having some company really helped as we were able to talk things over and clarify each other’s doubts. But this wasn’t so hard as I was still a student at IIT Bombay and used to being around books.

For L2 and L3, I studied alone, relying mostly on Schweiser guides. Once you start working, it gets so much harder to lock yourself up in a room and study. Managing a 12 hour/day working day does mean that you have to be very efficient in planning your time. My advice is to start early and keep a regular pace (both of which I did not do!).

What kind of edge are you expecting this certificate to give you in terms of financial security, jobs, salary along with the MBA?

Apart from finance sector jobs which value the CFA greatly, there are a number of synergies that are created by having both the CFA and the MBA. But I will talk about the two primary synergies here.

Firstly, it increases my recognition with all employers. The fact that I earned the CFA while working at full time jobs and cleared it on the 1 attempt every time tells them a lot about my diligence, analytical abilities, and time management skills.

Secondly, finance is an integral part of most jobs today, even in the Consulting and Corporate sectors. My CFA training gives them comfort that no matter what sort of finance problem at hand, I will be able to find a solution to it.

Long story short, not only does the CFA get me a seat at the MBA interview table, it also helps me perform better at my post MBA job.

Hari Krishnan, Managing Director, Asia-Pacific & Japan at Linkedin tells us about his global MBA experience at INSEAD and how to leverage your network.

1. You have worked in different organizations – Large companies, Fast growing Silicon Valley Companies and Start Ups. What have you learned from each?
   
   My aspiration has always been to be a business builder and leader. To do so, I needed to work at different companies, different industries and companies at different stages of development.At Cisco, I worked for a large company at the peak of it’s powers. To be in the Silicon Valley during the dotcom boom and bust periods was a very educational lesson which has served me well. Above all, I learned how good companies manage employees, take strategic investment decisions and build business.I worked/co-founded 2 separate startups – Travelguru and Stylkist. While one exited successfully through an acquisition, the other one grew well but eventually was sold after breaking up its core assets. I learnt how to build an industry (E-Commerce in India) and build a company from the ground up. Struggles such as figuring out how to make payroll, manage cashflow, hive off business lines etc are so much more existential in nature at that stage of a company’s existence.I also helped 3 American digital companies enter India – Yahoo, MySpace and most recently LinkedIn. I learnt the challenges of being an MNC subsidiary, setting up tax entities, and managing expectations across cultures and geos.All of this has allowed me to be better at prioritization, focus on talent and growing businesses.
   
   
2. How has your MBA from INSEAD enabled you to lead?
   
   It opened me up to cultural differences especially in the professional context. It allowed me to face up to and conquer my own biases and understand how to be successful in global settings. It also showcased the strength of a strong network and good old fashioned hard work.
   
   
3. You have studied on three continents. What would you say to students looking for a global experience?
   
   Be flexible in your approach, open-minded in your thinking and let the experiences wash over you. You will be so much better as a person and a professional once you have done this. But do not underestimate how uncomfortable the actual process of studying in another culture may feel. Its character building stuff!
   
   
4. Business today is becoming social. How would you encourage students to foster social engagement at school and at work?
   
   Professional networks are about making yourself more successful and productive, if they are done well. I would encourage three things:
   • Be authentic: be yourself, don’t pretend to be something/someone you are not.
   • Share more freely: The more you contribute, the more value you will get out of your network.
   • Quality over quantity: A network of trusted, high quality people is worth much more than just arbitrarily networking with all and sundry.
     
     
5. Any tips for our aspiring MBA’s ?
   
   Understand WHY you want an MBA. It can be a wonderful experience, but don’t expect a silver bullet. It will not make you a superhero, just a little better at things like time management, people management and perhaps fill skill gaps like finance, negotiation ability etc.
   
   
6. Can you tell us a bit about Linkedin University?
   
   LinkedIn has 238M+ members globally and this means we have a large number of career paths and we know the career outcomes for the alums for thousands of schools globally. We believe we are uniquely positioned to help university students build a path from college to their career. In the future, you could also foresee a time when highschool students apply to colleges and specific programs using the career outcome data of alums of that college/program, which they will find on LinkedIn. We are only just getting started with services for this key stakeholder group.