Career conversations: Be consistent, and don’t give up

CFA® (Program) is a very prestigious qualification which is accepted around the world. It has played a very critical, important role in my professional career. It provides you a lot of credibility in your professional arena, and ultimately, it helps you to achieve your financial objective.

My name is Asad Khan. I'm a CFA® Charterholder. I started my career as a chartered accountant while I was in Pakistan, and then completed my four years of articleship and then became a chartered accountant. Later on, I moved to work with another Big Four firm in Saudi Arabia.

But right from the beginning, one of the main area of specialization was banking. I started as bank auditing, and then later when I found an opportunity, I worked with one of the largest banks in Saudi Arabia.

At that point, I started realizing that the knowledge I have as a chartered accountant is not sufficient to understand the banking products and the risks attached to that, and at that point, I started pursuing the CFA (Program).

Accounting and finance are two parallel streams. Having a knowledge of both streams, it's a big competitive advantage.

CFA (Program), it gives you a very comprehensive mindset to think, to visualize and to assess the impact of future issues. So, even if you are an accountant or you are an auditor and you are relating to financial services industry, it is equally important.

CFA (Program) is a very renowned qualification which is accepted around the world. Every country has the society which you're part of, and then you can connect with other professionals. I was part of the various professional development programs, and especially the public speaking programs arranged by the CFA® Society. It's a huge, big network which helps you to interact  with other professionals, and then you can share your thoughts and then learn from their experiences also.

When you're studying for CFA® Exam, it's always difficult to find the long hours. So, split your study plan into small brackets. You have to compromise on some of the personal choices during that period, but your family's support is also important for that purpose.

Being consistent is very important. Don't give up just because of one bad movement or a one bad day, or some negative thoughts. There may be some failures on the way, and I have faced myself.

Your work challenges are there, but if you have a clarity in your mind that, "I want to achieve this because it's good for the success of my final professional career, and it is good for my family's future also," this will help you keep going. Be consistent. Don't give up.

CFA (Program) is a very prestigious qualification which is accepted around the world. It has played a very critical, important role in my professional career. It provides you a lot of credibility in your professional arena, and ultimately, it helps you to achieve your financial objective.

My name is Asad Khan. I'm a CFA® Charterholder. I started my career as a chartered accountant while I was in Pakistan, and then completed my four years of articleship and then became a chartered accountant. Later on, I moved to work with another Big Four firm in Saudi Arabia.

But right from the beginning, one of the main area of specialization was banking. I started as bank auditing, and then later when I found an opportunity, I worked with one of the largest banks in Saudi Arabia.

At that point, I started realizing that the knowledge I have as a chartered accountant is not sufficient to understand the banking products and the risks attached to that, and at that point, I started pursuing the CFA (Program).

Accounting and finance are two parallel streams. Having a knowledge of both streams, it's a big competitive advantage.

CFA (Program), it gives you a very comprehensive mindset to think, to visualize and to assess the impact of future issues. So, even if you are an accountant or you are an auditor and you are relating to financial services industry, it is equally important.

CFA (Program) is a very renowned qualification which is accepted around the world. Every country has the society which you're part of, and then you can connect with other professionals. I was part of the various professional development programs, and especially the public speaking programs arranged by the CFA® Society. It's a huge, big network which helps you to interact  with other professionals, and then you can share your thoughts and then learn from their experiences also.

When you're studying for CFA® Exam, it's always difficult to find the long hours. So, split your study plan into small brackets. You have to compromise on some of the personal choices during that period, but your family's support is also important for that purpose.

Being consistent is very important. Don't give up just because of one bad movement or a one bad day, or some negative thoughts. There may be some failures on the way, and I have faced myself.

Your work challenges are there, but if you have a clarity in your mind that, "I want to achieve this because it's good for the success of my final professional career, and it is good for my family's future also," this will help you keep going. Be consistent. Don't give up.