Hi all,i 'm in a bit of a fix here.i'm at the cross road of choosing which career advancement move i should make.Been working with a bank for not up tpo a year now but i don't want to waste anytime in improvinng and adding value to myself:

The problem is i don't know which one to go for first:a masters degree programme or a professional certificatuion.

Am a graduate of finance.

Am relying on the objective and intelligent oppinion of the good people of this land to help me make a well informed decision.

I suggest u go for a professional certification now that u are still very young, u have much ability to read wide than when u are older and have burdens to take care of. Remember u do not know the markers of ur professional exams that is why u should do that one first now that u can seriously study. As for masters, u do it in any of our high institutions, there u know who ur lecturers/examiners are and u can easily approach them. That is my own suggestion. Myself i started my ICAN first, after qualification, i will settle down 4 my masters. Take care.

It's good you go for your professionals first.It's the best for you.It will enrich you more and you can move ahead.Besides you are still young.I started with professionals too and it is real helping.

My friend, Your professional exams are much better to start with. I don't know about Finanace, but you may have more of these certifications to do in future. Like in my field, Computer Science, New Certifications come as Technology Improves. Having one, qualifies you for the other. Good Luck

Hey, Finally a subject I'm an expert on.

Depends on where ur doing d masters and what your plans r long term.

I did both n I can confidently say that d MSC didn't do Jack 4 me (my uni wasn't spectacular, so maybe dat contributed to d situation).

The job I got after uni was based on the certification exams I took (smart boi that I was, I differed writing my theisis for a semester, then spent it getting certified and getting over the dissapointment that was my MSC).

If u can afford to go to a top 10 Uni in the UK, US, or Canada, prospects post-uni r comparatively better than most. A few other western european countries like spain and italy have decent schools or if ur an adventure junkie, u cud try eastern european (heard polish uni's r pretty decent) or mexico. Heard swedish uni's ave free tuition and stockholm has really Hot Chicks (know ur thinkin about ur education, but I gurantee that you'll need that sort of distraction from time to time).

Finally, I'd say this, do ur research mate. Talk to successful people in ur feild and find out what they've done and get their opinions (know thats what ur doin on nairaland but try gettin up close and personal cuz u can't vouch 4 most of d peeps on here, myself included).

Gudluck m8t.

id say do both

Nice one!!!
I will tell u this: Go for ur professional cert. O started my MBA in |Unilag and believe me, its not worth it. No valu is added to yiu, honestly. U kbnow in Naija, u dont necessarily need to have the knowledge, just brandish d certificate and u are in. Professional Certifications will help u a lot cos u will be taught by "professionals", meanwhile, masters will be lectured by hal-paid lecturers who would rather be somewhere else!!!
All the best.

the MBA frm unilag iz it tht bad, i wz thnkn of doin it oooo

IMO - do both1

depending on the resources u have, if u can afford to get in a GOOD Uni (not in naija o) then do both. If u decide to do both be ready for jihad in ur brain! it will be HARD work but it will be worth every sleepless night.

If u can only afford one, i will say do certification - alot of my friends have been doing ACCA etc. do those. look at it this way, alot of jobs will want either one or the other or both!

Good luck and keep us posted on ur decision.

God bless

If u wana study abroad, go for Masters 1st. If u wana study at home then consider the professional

I'm an engineer but know lot's of people in banking and finance and the answer to your question depends on what your plans are.

An MBA opens up more of the western world. Those countries tend to be particular about knowing the Institution you got your last degree in. I got my BSc in Lag but the fact I went to A&M is the only thing that carries weight with my american co-workers.

If you want to stay in Naija, go get your CFA. It's opened some big doors for 2 guys I know quite well. Plus, there is little or no lost income gettting a certification

I love this blog. Easymoney, i want you to explain what you mean by CFA. Thanks

@Poster
im was also thinking about that before. Later, after consultations with friends home and abroad, i have been jacking seriously to write cfa this december and ill do my MBA after 5 years cognate experience on the field.
yeah, cfa is good for you since u had ur first degree in finance.
cheers

temi900:

I love this blog. Easymoney, i want you to explain what you mean by CFA. Thanks

Chartered Financial Analyst

This is a good thread.
I was also in thesame fix,but now I know what to do.
Professional certification first.

Thanx landers

Thanks u all, was thinking of wat to do first and was really putting it down for the certification and now the mind is set. thanks again

masters degree

Do both man!

i realy thank you guys for the imput, would have replied y'all sooner,but as the saying goes"better late than never".

i actually had my Bsc from the university of lagos, and before now i was thinking of going back there for my MBA,definitely ,am going to do both but i just wanted to know which should come first.

studying abroad is quite expensive and i doon't want to wait t too long trying to save up for that.i could still do that eventually but i need something added to what i have already to improve on myself.tot of the CFA thing too,beacause i 'd known about it long before now.

Another thing is i don't want to be tied to a particular field like th banking industry.i want to be able to fit into any other area;thus the thot of the MBA?

more views on this are still welcomed as i need it to make my final decisions.

counting on you folks.

Hi Guys, They r both ok, like some said. It depends on the field in which u belong. I'm in the sciences and Men! u cant go far without ur MSc or any other form of Post grad. Anyway its always cool to hav all, remember no knowledge is lost.

dear All

How does one get info on writing the CFA exams? Are they run by a local body or foreign?

Hello everyone,

I got a first degree in economics from unical, then went on to do a masters degree in marketing at unilag. I had thought then of doing an mba, but learnt that it is better appreciated, and more useful, if u had worked anything between 3 - 5yrs. So i did the m.sc in 1997, after graduating from unical in 1994. I am currently attempting to get into lasu for the mba.

i thought of doing some professional exam like ican or cibn, but the length of time it will take me to complete the different stages, coupled with the fact that i am not too inclined to figures in the accounting realm. I opted for the masters, because it comes in less time, and it is better appreciated in the market (labour mkt.). I think you should do an msc in marketing, management or even finance, if u r so inclined. u can be taking the proffesional exams on the side and aspiring to certification.

Another consideration is the type of industry u want to end up in. if u are looking at the financial sector, i.e. banks and the likes, then like i said do your msc and be pursuing the different options in certification. there is one called cisa, its international, or u could even try the chartered institute of marketing, london. The certifications come in handy, but at the point u are now, an msc, with interest in certification running together should be your best bet.

Best of luck and keep going at it. adios!!!

Please some one talk seriously on Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
its a very tough cert but will take you to the top of any world class company or career.
But I don't have much info, just wish a CFA is in the forum to help us out.

this is an interesting topic , it has really gone well with me but most importantly i really want to know more about CFA , program , can any brilliant chap shed more light into the module oparandi , pls CFA/ ICAN which is more tasking .

then went on to do a masters degree in marketing at unilag.

Well if you want another Professional Marketing body you can try The Certified Marketing Communications Institute of Nigeria. 134, Ikorodu Road, Onipanu, Lagos.

As for me i think you should for your pro. first .

hi,just joined in 2 ur forum 2day and i really enjoyed d topic i saw der.CFA is a nice exam dat would really open doors,but there r tins u should really take into consideration. Go to- (aitraing.com) to get more info about it.Its not an easy exam cos u need to have a minimum of 75% to pass a stage and u have three stages,guys its not easy oh, and also very expensive,but who knows u might be hot enough.Me i settled for ACCA cos its more flexible and also internationally recognised,u can work in any part of the world wit it also.Its better of than ICAN,i know dat cos i m talking 4rm experience.Maybe later wen i have d money an stamina i would definitely go 4 CFA exam.

@Hareho,
Thanks Girl for shearing your experience with us on the CFA issue, But I believe this is were we should be.

Reason: it is difficult and it will reduce the competition , so why not take the pain to reach the top.

Please once again any CFA pro in the house or link to your contact that has CFA,
just to give us the Salary scale, where you work after.

I know of Citi group and they earn well!!!, but no figures though. That was where I first hard about it and was encouraged to. But my 6years Business Development background is my main issue.

so what do you think?

If ur pedigree is finance, the u should go with the CFA option, then you could do a masters in corporate finance after that, if the plan is to maintain that strict line. but u could always do a masters in marketing or ur ican, cibn, cisa. it all depends on what u aspire to.

just ending NYSC in far away kebbi.i was just in the same fix as u are.not even an HND holder like me.it depends on what you really want to make out of life.having been trained as an agricultural engineer,i decided to get training in web related stuffs and write the necessary certification.
Good luck to u,and also remember to put God first in whatever u do

CFA Means Chattered Institute of Financial Analyst. You Can find out more about them from www.cfainstitute.org

@ All,
Interesting topic.
@ bricks,
If you are looking for a certification that'll make you flexible and relevant in all fields, go for any of the Project management certifications. I recommend any of PMI's(Project Management Institute) certifications. Project management skills has been adjudged to be the number one business skill in the world and it is a core even over technical domains. check out www.pmi.org, for first hand info.

muchmoney:

@ All,
Interesting topic.
@ bricks,
If you are looking for a certification that'll make you flexible and relevant in all fields, go for any of the Project management certifications. I recommend any of PMI's(Project Management Institute) certifications. Project management skills has been adjudged to be the number one business skill in the world and it is a core even over technical domains. check out www.pmi.org, for first hand info.