[Crash_test_dummy]

hi there, i discovered this thread quite late.
i was considering joining the CIIA program at ICFAI and i also inquired about it from some ppl. the disadvantages that i learned was: 1. it is not a very well known program, that is, not many companies know about it. so they`ll obviously hesitate to recruit ppl with a certificate that they dont know about. since there are very few ppl with CIIA in the market, there is no track record or credibility of the course either. 2. i looked at the course contents and i was amazed at the breadth of it...it covers almost everything in finance...from corporate finance to real estate and investment banking etc etc. in a duration of just 1 year! this leads to 2 situations: either the course will not go into the details of anything...it`ll just superficially cover a few topics from each subject, or it`ll be so deep and demanding that a beginner cant grasp or cope up with the load. 3. look carefully at the website of CIIA. the countries where this program is affiliated aren`t really the hot-spots of finance u know. the list has countries like iran, turkey, and Czech, while USA, UK, france are missing. obviously, it doesn`t have much international recognition in that case. 4. the international guidelines on the website state that this course is only open to ppl with experience in finance industry. but ICFAI is selling this course to anyone and everyone..even students who hant yet graduated. so basically, they just wanna make money out of it, without following international guidelines. recruiters would obviously expect this course valuable when it is coupled with industry experience. 5. there is no placement assisitance provided by ICFAI for this course. so basically, u`ll just hold a diploma in hand and hunt for a job...is it worth it? 6. the ICFAI person herself confessed over the phone that this program doesn`t get too much importance by recruiters. 7. i could not get the contact of anyone who`s already done this course or has found a job after doing this course. even ICFAI doesn`t have the contacts of any such ppl...maybe becoz there aren`t any such ppl or maybe becoz those ppl might not have nice things to say abt it?

if u havnt started off with this course yet, i suggest u do some more research whether it`s worth it. if u have started off, best of luck and let us kknow about how the course is.

[Routhmanz]

hi,
you were right. the program is not good and there's no point doing it.infact the 3 month course offered by Bombay Stock Exchange called " Certificate Program In Capital Markets" is much reputed because it's been approved by securities and exchange board of india. just like NCFM.
i saw another thread posted by you about econometrics and statistics. why dont you appear for the entrance examination of IGIDR. it would not be very difficult. i have attached the sample question. these are for the MSC(Economics) program offered bythe institute. the website is - www.igidr.ac.in
it doesn't matter what background you are from .you only need higher secondary mathematics.
bye

[sameer_kapadia]

hello to all u guys at pagalguy
first of all i would like to thank the moderator and creator of this site to make such a wonderfull site for ppl like us to share knowledge and experiences and at same time help each other and get helped by other.
so come on u guys let the opinions kepping on pouring.

hello routhmanz and babu
i checked u discussions and i agree taht doing ciia from icfai is a complete waste but i feel
that msc in finance which is being offered by them is grt and to add to it they give a
guarantee of a job on completing the course.
routmanz u are yet to complete u graduation and u know so much abt certifications relating to stock market?how man
the links u have given are fabulous and i persue some of them?
hey rothmanz could u tell me which other courses should one do in order to make a career as a equity research head?
and also could u tell us something abt u self as what are u plans after graduation?
and what certifications u have achieved and u plan to achieve?
so that we could get some insight from u ?
so if u good guide me with some good universities in uk or which are good for
courses relating to equity research?
oops thought have asked enough for today

[Routhmanz]

hi sameer,
how are you? hope you're doing well. i saw both of the queries posted by you. first of all tell me about your educational background and your plans.

your first question was about improving mathematics. have you studied maths till 10+2 or not?

as far as improving maths is concerned revise all the chapters from your text book of std.9th and 10th(minus geometry) and join a good coaching for getting the concepts clear. if you have studied maths till 12th std. very well, if not then fret not. you can still do it. a friend of mine wanted to do MCA but he did not have maths(+2) . he did it from NOS(www.nos.org) and crack the entrance of JNU. he is pursuing MCA from there.
after revising your basics go through calculus . that's enough

now your 2nd concern, regarding courses-

there are so many ,you will have to decide what you want to do. NCFM is mandatory. i want to tell you that extremely difficult course(read Financial Engineering) won't help. one should have the aptitude and willingness to excel in any field.
after my graduation the first thing i'm gonna do is to enroll myself at the CPCM program offered by bombay stock exchange's training institute.after that i will appear for entrance test of IGIDR and UTI Institute( Indian Institute of Capital Markets). since you're interested in becoming a research analyst you should do MBA(Finance) . if you have sufficient money to fund your education and living then go for ICMA or warwick business school's 1 year masters degree program in finance and economics . that's it for today. if you have any other query post your reply to this thread.
bye,
Sanjay

[Crash_test_dummy]

Originally Posted by sameer_kapadia

i checked u discussions and i agree taht doing ciia from icfai is a complete waste but i feel
that msc in finance which is being offered by them is grt and to add to it they give a
guarantee of a job on completing the course.

hey rothmanz could u tell me which other courses should one do in order to make a career as a equity research head?

so if u good guide me with some good universities in uk or which are good for
courses relating to equity research?

okay since you`re open to doing MSc finance and also considering doing courses abroad and are interested in making a career as an equity analyst, i think the best combination of the three would be to do do an MS in finance from US. MS finance in US is a one year course, and is cheaper than UK, and there are better chances of getting a job in US than UK. Although univs like warwick do offer those courses that u are interested in, the placemnent scene in those univs is not very good. i feel MS finance from US is the best for u.

[Routhmanz]

can you tell me where this course is offered?

[Crash_test_dummy]

Originally Posted by Routhmanz

can you tell me where this course is offered?

hey that`s a very broad question coz there are many variants of this course and different univs offer different flavours of MS finance. here are a few links that will be useful for you to understand this course and find out universities that offer it. read thru these links and if you have more questions, i`ll answer them.

http://www.gmatclub.com/phpbb/viewfo...3758a23786cf5d

http://www.gmatclub.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=19947

http://www.iafe.org/?id=academicprograms

[sameer_kapadia]

hello routhmanz and crash_test_dummy
thanks guys for u prompt reply!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
routhmanz u have asked me abt my education background so i am telling u that:
i am bcom graduate and has been working for a investment firm from last three years,
my career goal :is to work as equity research head for a a hedge fund or a pvt equity fund in wall street by dec 2007.
u must be laughing but i know i am guy with ordinary skills but unordinary dreams,
and with frds and advisesores like u ,i know i can surely do it,
so guys u have to help me with my career plan.......................
in order to achieve my career goa i was looking at masters in financial engineering
but after i checked out the course content i came to know it has a lot of mathemathics andu need to be really great at maths(so i was afraid that i could not make it bcoz
i am good at research but not so good with maths)so i decided to check out some other
courses which could help me achieve my dreams ,
then i came across isma (or icma ) as u call it but the course could not provide u with
a decent job to survive (same is with warwick)and major reason for me having my doubts
abt studying in uk is the work permit,
so then i shifted my research to usa(but have yet not found any course that could help me
plzzzz guys if u know any good courses that could help me achieve my dreams then
plz let me know.
also routhmanz u have mention abt a course called cpcm from bse(what is the full form of
that and why are u so focussed on that),also u said abt giving admisssion test for uti
capital mkts institute,could u tell me which course u are targetting at uti? and lstly what is
igidr and how it will help u in u career!!!!!!!!!!!!!
routhmanz what are u career goals could u let us know?
and lastly what courses would u advise me to do till i am in india(relating to finance and stock markets)
to crazy_test_dummy
thanks for the wonderfulll reply and waiting for more from u side
could u share ur profile and career goals with us ,u have a good research of finance courses,seems u are also in the same boat as i am,
hey think it has become long enough
so bye guys waiitng for reply.

[Crash_test_dummy]

Originally Posted by sameer_kapadia

my career goal :is to work as equity research head for a a hedge fund or a pvt equity fund in wall street by dec 2007.
u must be laughing but i know i am guy with ordinary skills but unordinary dreams,
and with frds and advisesores like u ,i know i can surely do it,
so guys u have to help me with my career plan........................

ummm....u wanna BECOME the head of equity research for a hedge fund on wall street by 2007??? i dont mean to discourage you, but you need to reassess your goals and make them a bit more realistic. that is more of a long term goal i feel...something you could aim to achieve in the next 8-10 years.

Originally Posted by sameer_kapadia

in order to achieve my career goa i was looking at masters in financial engineering
but after i checked out the course content i came to know it has a lot of mathemathics andu need to be really great at maths(so i was afraid that i could not make it bcoz
i am good at research but not so good with maths)so i decided to check out some other
courses which could help me achieve my dreams

That is correct. financial engineering requires lots of maths. it is aimed to create analysts and not managers. you need to be clear whether u wanna be in a technical position, like an analyst, or in a managerial person (for which u need an MBA)

Originally Posted by sameer_kapadia

then i came across isma (or icma ) as u call it but the course could not provide u with
a decent job to survive (same is with warwick)and major reason for me having my doubts
abt studying in uk is the work permit,
so then i shifted my research to usa(but have yet not found any course that could help me
plzzzz guys if u know any good courses that could help me achieve my dreams then
plz let me know.

doing an ICMA or ISMA or whatever wont get you to wall street. neither will warwick. in fact, European MBAs find it very difficult to shift to US firms, since american firms prefer US MBAs. i`ve already advised you on doing MS finance which seems ideal for you. check out the links in my previous post on this thread.

Originally Posted by sameer_kapadia

also routhmanz u have mention abt a course called cpcm from bse(what is the full form of
that and why are u so focussed on that),also u said abt giving admisssion test for uti
capital mkts institute,could u tell me which course u are targetting at uti? and lstly what is
igidr and how it will help u in u career!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NCFM, CPCM etc are courses related to indian stock markets. these will equip you with knowledge regarding functioning of indian capital markets and some basic financial concepts. these might open doors to working in capital market related firms in india since there are regulatory requirements that a person working in such firms has to be certified in these courses. for example, you cant deal professionally in derivatives unless you have an NCFM derivatives module certificate. you cant sell mutual funds unless u`ve passed NCFM (AMFI) mutual funds exam. you should refer to nse and bse websites to get the details. refer to the igidr PDF file that rothmanz has attached in an earlier post.

Originally Posted by sameer_kapadia

what courses would u advise me to do till i am in india(relating to finance and stock markets)

Originally Posted by sameer_kapadia

to crazy_test_dummy

it`s CRASH_test_dummy, but never mind that.

Originally Posted by sameer_kapadia

thanks for the wonderfulll reply and waiting for more from u side
could u share ur profile and career goals with us ,u have a good research of finance courses,seems u are also in the same boat as i am,

i`m a computer engineer looking to switch into finance. i`ve worked as an IT consultant in an MNC in the past...now i`ve shifted to a startup so that i can gain some enterpreneurial exposure. i`m aiming for US b schools, will be giving gmat on 8th dec. i aim to gain work ex in US financial services firms for a few years and eventually return to india to start an enterpreneurial venture in financial services. it would be great if you could give me some insight on your experience in the investment firm that you work at. thanks.

[Routhmanz]

hi sameer,
i am recommending you Securities market program offerred by UTI Institute of Capital Markets. the website is www.utiicm.com
and IGIDR(Indira Gandhi Institute Of Developement and Research) offers a 2 year Msc(Economics) program. any graduate with mathematics at +2 level. can pursue this course. sameer, i think you should first try for this course. i have attached the model test papers earlier . you should prepare the basics of calculus(differentiation, integration ,set theory and binomial theorem)
since you have three years of work experience you should appear in the entrance test of both the institutes. getting into Uti institute is easier. the questions are easier than MAT (management aptitude test) pattern.
as far as placements are concerned, both of them are good.but IGIDR has GE Capital , Boston analytics,fractal analytics recruiting their candidates.you will get a chance to go to US if these firms recruit you.the package is excellent Avg salary this year was 7Lakhs per annum.you would be hired as an Economist or as an analyst. visit www.igidr.ac.in
i know these things because i have had a conversation with a student. and i will also appear in the entrance exam of IGIDR.
and yes, you know how much the MSC Economics program costs? only- 16000 rupees with rs 200 additional per month for accomodation. i mean the fees is Rs 4000 per semester for the 2 year course. so you have a good opportunity to avail. it' up to you.
bye
Sanjay