Hi Seniors

I have a few queries regarding building my profile in finance

I have done a lot of research about CFA and FRM certifications , but problem is that they are currently out of my budget , so are there any indian certifications in finance or less expensive certifications of good quality , which i could try for , in order to build my profile

Check the foll link
Learnwithflip: Finance and Banking Training and Certifications

also u can try out the evergreen & popular NCFM & AMFI certifications also these days BSE conducts short term programs which are quite beneficial in terms of content check their website.

Hi Seniors

I have a few queries regarding building my profile in finance

I have done a lot of research about CFA and FRM certifications , but problem is that they are currently out of my budget , so are there any indian certifications in finance or less expensive certifications of good quality , which i could try for , in order to build my profile

I m back with more

First, Asset management, this includes a lot as an asset may mean Equity, Real Estate, Bonds or Commodities.

Simply speaking it is the professional management of various securities and assets , in order to meet specified investment goals for the benefit of the investors. Investors may be institutions (insurance companies, pension funds, corporations, charities, educational establishments etc.) or private investors (both directly via investment contracts and more commonly via collective investment schemes,e.g. Mutual Funds or Exchange Traded funds

The point i want to make is that an AMC & a MFare 2 different things coz many people dont understand the distinction.

Next up Project Financing, includes how to prepare the financial plan, assess the risks, design the financing mix, and raise the funds. A knowledge-base is required regarding the design of contractual arrangements to support project financing; issues for the host government legislative provisions, public/private infrastructure partnerships, public/private financing structures; credit requirements of lenders, and how to determine the project's borrowing capacity; how to prepare cash flow projections and use them to measure expected rates of return; tax and accounting considerations; and analytical techniques to validate the project's feasibility.

All in all a very very entrpreneurial feel is guaranteed here

Now back to another popular category, Private Equity, they are investment companies that, as a rule, do not hold publicly-traded securities. Instead, they normally seek equity stakes (that is, partial ownership) in private companies. They also may invest in so-called private placements of securities from public companies. That is, securities that are not offered to the general public or traded in the public securities markets. Venture capital is a specialized subcategory of private equity. Both are high risk, high reward investment approaches.

They draw their investment pools from wealthy individuals, pension funds and other investment managers. Most are private companies themselves, but some have been publicly traded entities. Other private equity funds are subsidiaries or divisions of larger financial services firms.

More Later......

Respected Seniors,

Please forgive my ignorance but I have a lot to ask about finance,I will be thankful if you could throw some light.

First, where does the retail/commercial banking fits into the picture? Also how easy it is to jump profiles in this domain? Say someone joins as a Mgr in a PSU bank, and then wants to move to Equity Research/Portfolio Management/Credit risk or any other core finance profiles later? Is it possible without getting MBA?

Abhimukh sir, you talked about PSU banks offering AVP profiles at some colleges. Can you reveal the names of those colleges? (Possibly in PM, if not in open?)

My other question is that almost everywhere I look, I find CAs in core finance profiles, with or without an MBA degree. So looking at this fact and that everyone in finance is compulsorily doing CFA, can you tell me which among them holds greater weightage? Also what is the value of a CS qualification in core finance?

My third question is about the Financial Engineering that people keep talking about. I believe it gets you in a "quant" job i.e. an Analyst position with some IB/PE firm. Almost everyone who teaches you FE is based out of US and hence it is inaccessible to lesser mortals like me. So what is the easy way out? Are there any certifications available in this regard? Related talk that keeps emerging is about "Algorithmic trading". What are the entry routes in India?

And my last question, what are the exit routes? Does having finance in your resume damages it beyond repair (like/unlike the IT experience)?. Say at present someone might be sold out on the glamor of IB/Portfolio management profiles, but considering the amount of input it requires/monotonous work, some people might want to exit it in future to do something which comes naturally to them ?

PS: I am sorry for so many questions, I am plain confused about finance.

PPS: I asked this question elsewhere too, but it went unanswered. I'd like to know the names of the texts that are used in a typical (indian) finance program, say I want to take a look at them before I land up somewhere which requires me to do so. Some link will do, or else please post if you can.

i am sure, u wud have read the previous posts on the various career options in the world of finance....now the most glamorous of these is the investment banking industry where one of the functions is to help companies/institutions raise finance for various purposes - be it expansion, mergers & acquisitions or any other activity they have planned......the role of an investment banker is to help the company prepare its business plan, its project report/investment proposal and raise finance for the same. the other end of this chain are the people who lend/invest money to/in these institutions for this purpose. If these people invest money they are either investing thru the PE or allied routes or thru the IPO route. If it is lending that you want to talk abt then u come to commercial banking.....simply put commercial banking deals with those aspects of a bank which help a company to manage its funds/cash - either in the form of deposits or thru loans (long term or short term). retail banking does the same thing but the customer here is an individual insted of a company or an institution.

now, coming to the question of how easy or difficult it is to switch jobs.....it normally is as difficult to switch jobs from one sub-domain to another...almost as difficult as switching from finance to marketing....it is relatively easier in the first 1-2 years but once you have established urself it becomes very difficult....even in the fund raising domain, if u have worked primarily on debt side (that is helping companies raise loans, refinance loans, etc.) after a point it becomes difficult to move to private equity To answer ur specific query, no it is not possible to move from manager in PSU bank to a portfolio management role (not directly at least)...although it wud be possible to move into a credit risk role.

CFA is not essential for u to work in the world of finance. A lot of people do it for the same reason that people started to do MBA in droves. It sets them apart. Also in a world where there is no established standard for measuring how good a finance professional is, CFA provides one of the few benchmarks to help set oneself apart from the herd.

If by CS u mean Company Secretary ka course then a CS will add little or no value to core finance knowledge (at least nothing you wont learn in a B.Com. course). Where a CS would be valued is in the understanding he/she brings to the table keeping in mind the laws of the country. A CS would be able to advise clients much better and add value to the team as clients often look towards bankers for guidance beyond the world of finance.

i dont have much knowledge on the financial engineering roles, so wont be able to help u out here.....coming to ur last question, if what a person wants to really do is marketing,HR or any other management related field, then he/she will find it really difficult to change or they may have to even start from scratch all over again...however if it is something unrelated (like in my case, i got into education) then the only trouble you will face is from angry relatives who dont want u to quit a glamorous job to become a teacher

Respected Seniors,

Please forgive my ignorance but I have a lot to ask about finance,I will be thankful if you could throw some light.

First, where does the retail/commercial banking fits into the picture? Also how easy it is to jump profiles in this domain? Say someone joins as a Mgr in a PSU bank, and then wants to move to Equity Research/Portfolio Management/Credit risk or any other core finance profiles later? Is it possible without getting MBA?

Abhimukh sir, you talked about PSU banks offering AVP profiles at some colleges. Can you reveal the names of those colleges? (Possibly in PM, if not in open?)

My other question is that almost everywhere I look, I find CAs in core finance profiles, with or without an MBA degree. So looking at this fact and that everyone in finance is compulsorily doing CFA, can you tell me which among them holds greater weightage? Also what is the value of a CS qualification in core finance?

My third question is about the Financial Engineering that people keep talking about. I believe it gets you in a "quant" job i.e. an Analyst position with some IB/PE firm. Almost everyone who teaches you FE is based out of US and hence it is inaccessible to lesser mortals like me. So what is the easy way out? Are there any certifications available in this regard? Related talk that keeps emerging is about "Algorithmic trading". What are the entry routes in India?

And my last question, what are the exit routes? Does having finance in your resume damages it beyond repair (like/unlike the IT experience)?. Say at present someone might be sold out on the glamor of IB/Portfolio management profiles, but considering the amount of input it requires/monotonous work, some people might want to exit it in future to do something which comes naturally to them ?

PS: I am sorry for so many questions, I am plain confused about finance.

PPS: I asked this question elsewhere too, but it went unanswered. I'd like to know the names of the texts that are used in a typical (indian) finance program, say I want to take a look at them before I land up somewhere which requires me to do so. Some link will do, or else please post if you can.

e.g. i have heard of corporate finance and financial markets.
what are the other options which are there for the finance graduates?

Retail Banking- Savings Accounts/Current Accounts/Credit Cards/ Bank assurance/ Private Banking etc. This is one aspect of Banking where the focus will be more on marketing rather than finance.

Transaction Banking/Business Banking- Current Accounts/ Cash Management Services etc

Corporate Banking- This would involve giving loans to small and medium companies. Involves a mix of finance (role of Credit Analyst) and marketing (role of a Relationship Manager)

Risk Management- More or less completely finance and involves substantial number crunching. Great opportunity if you love numbers and don't really want a client facing role.

Capital Markets/Project Financing- Involves financing of very large projects both on debt side (long term loans/ syndication etc) and equity (M&A;/ Private Equity etc). Again involves a mix of Finance and Marketing

Treasury- Foreign exchange trading/ bond trading/ Correspondent Banking etc.....gr8 job if you really like stock trading looking at international transactions or trying to anticipate the markets.

courtesy : our very own super mod Wayne

source

Great efforts abhi sir

I have a doubt .Is its necessary that a Finance student should know about share market and all

If suppose someone is not able to understand share market ,Mutual funds and all or let say dont have interest in that

then whats the solution?

Well to answer ur question i wud say No it is not necessary to understand share market/MFs etc etc its a big enough lake to fish u can take the other corner for fishing...although extra knowledge never harmed anyone.

Great efforts abhi sir

I have a doubt .Is its necessary that a Finance student should know about share market and all .As you mentioned before a finance student should know about :

1. Financial Institutions in the market
Commercial Banks
Insurance Companies
Mutual Funds
Provident Funds
Non Banking Financial

If suppose someone is not able to understand share market ,Mutual funds and all or let say dont have interest in that

then whats the solution?

Hi Superlike

The above mentioned are the categories which constitute the financial institutions in India , share market or mutual funds are avenues of investment for an individual or an institution.

I dont think its very difficult to understand , once you read more about them on the internet and try understand their mechanism , i am sure you will get clarity and offcourse if you have doubts or queries , i am sure we can discuss and sort them out here :)

and Superlike don't you worry Share and MFs are the most easiest part of Finance.

They will serve as basic for many other topics in Finance.

Great efforts abhi sir

I have a doubt .Is its necessary that a Finance student should know about share market and all .As you mentioned before a finance student should know about :

1. Financial Institutions in the market
- Commercial Banks
- Insurance Companies
- Mutual Funds
- Provident Funds
- Non Banking Financial

If suppose someone is not able to understand share market ,Mutual funds and all or let say dont have interest in that

then whats the solution?

Hi Superlike

The above mentioned are the categories which constitute the financial institutions in India , share market or mutual funds are avenues of investment for an individual or an institution.

I dont think its very difficult to understand , once you read more about them on the internet and try understand their mechanism , i am sure you will get clarity and offcourse if you have doubts or queries , i am sure we can discuss and sort them out here

I am working with Royal Bank of Scotland currently and will be joining IMT-Ghaziabad for 1-year Executive PGDM ( offcourse Finance)
I am working on Credit Derivatives.

A Credit Derivative is a securitized derivative whose value is derived from the credit risk on an underlying bond, loan or any other financial asset. In this way, the credit risk is on an entity other than the counterparties to the transaction itself. This entity is known as the reference entity and may be a corporate, a sovereign or any other form of legal entity which has incurred debt. Credit derivatives are bilateral contracts between a buyer and seller under which the seller sells protection against the credit risk of the reference entity

Just some insider news ( many of you must be knowing this already)

RBI has set up a working committee to Introduce Credit Derivatives in India. This is very likely that Credit derivatives would in traded in India by this December. This would imply many more I-banks coming to India and starting operations.So People who are graduating this year, good scope of getting place. There would be lot of offerings from these banks.

( for more details: http://rbidocs.rbi.org.in/rdocs/PublicationReport/Pdfs/35293.pdf)

Great efforts abhi sir

I have a doubt .Is its necessary that a Finance student should know about share market and all .As you mentioned before a finance student should know about :

1. Financial Institutions in the market
- Commercial Banks
- Insurance Companies
- Mutual Funds
- Provident Funds
- Non Banking Financial

If suppose someone is not able to understand share market ,Mutual funds and all or let say dont have interest in that

then whats the solution?

Well i would like to share some of my leanings while working at Stan Chart during Summers in last 2 months , i was working under the private banking segment(read wealth management : sub-segment Ultra High Net Individuals)

So just brief note about what Wealth Management/Private Banking is

Private banking is an integration of banking, investment and other financial services provided by banks to private individuals investing sizable assets. In addition to providing exclusive investment-related advice, private banking goes beyond managing investments to address a client's entire financial situation. Services include: protecting and growing assets in the present, providing specialized financing solutions, planning retirement and passing wealth on to future generations.


2.The Services offered are
2.1.Saving & Investment Planning
2.2.Liability Planning
2.3.Insurance Planning
2.4.Retirement Planning
2.5.Estate Planning
2.6.Tax Planning

Typical Market Segments

Segment Investable Surplus ($)
Mass market:5000 - 25,000
Mass affluent:25,000 - 1 mn
High net worth : 1 mn - 10 mn
Ultra High net worth: 10 mn and above


Private Banking customers have a dedicated relationship manager (RM) and service manager/officer to advice and service accounts. Many of the private banking clients are owners /promoters of business thus the private banking RM works closely with corporate banking RM to personal as well as business banking needs of the customers. Cross Referrals between private banking and corporate banking business are very important. Along with this Private Banks depends on Banks Treasury and asset management companies that provide them innovative products that provide them competitive advantage


The product offering includes
oMutual Funds
oDirect equity Advice
oPortfolio Management Services
oFixed Income/debt product-government bonds, corporate debts
oDirect Investment to real estate
oInsurance

The Emerging Product offerings due to increasing interest in assets classes like commodities and art
oCommodities PMS
oArt Fund
oEstate planning-Trust and tax advisory services
oReal estate mutual funds
oPrivate Equity Funds

The players who are in this segment

Brokerage Houses
Which provide Portfolio Management Services and Trading & Settlements
Asset Management Companies
providing investment opportunities in Mutual Funds with varying Investment Objectives
Distribution Companies and Portals

which offer Third Party products
Insurance Advisors
providing Add-on financial products
Banks
Non-discretionary portfolio management plus other products


The single-biggest problem to growing wealth management businesses in India is supply, as talent pool for financial advisers is very shallow. Despite the large number of graduates, the talent pool for financial advisers is very shallow, and every firm is chasing them. Demand from clients is there, and there is the right delivery mechanism in terms of an evolving array of products. However, there are nowhere near enough advisers to service this demand. And thus creating large number of opportunities for employment in this field

Great Thread Abhi

This would definitely provide insights to people
- who want to shift their careers to Finance
- Who have fears about Finance- thinking that its just a maths game
- People who are already working in Finance world- this thread would for sure update them about other subdomains of finance

:clap:

Dav

OK lets talk abt FINANCE....its more than fat paychecks, number crunching, Accounting, etc etc. Its also not an easy job if u thought so there's lot in this field which justify the kind of paypackets that are offered but thats a different topic all together. What i am trying to do in this post is explain what fields exist within the Finance umbrella:

First lets take everybody's favourite, Investment Banking, it is a field of banking that assists companies in acquiring the funds they require for their businesses. A firm that specializes in IB is likely to do a fair amount of consulting work on financial matters. They are also capable of tracking the market in order to be able to offer advice to a company about when they should make public offerings as well as to know the most suitable way to manage the assets of the business.

Some of the consulting work an investment banking firm does will overlap with the work performed by a private brokerage. This is because buy-and-sell suggestions and advice is often something they offer to the corporations and businesses they represent.

Many people choose a career in the investment banking industry because the potential for high earnings is great. Investment bankers are one of the most sought after jobs to be found in the world of money markets. A career in this field is exciting, competitive and time intensive. You will travel a lot, work round the clock on a more or less regular basis and some say being cutting edge and even a little cutthroat is required.

Next lets talk about the second most popular finance field known to all, Consulting, it is all about helping organizations improve their performance primarily through the analysis of existing organisational problems and development of plans for improvement.

Consultancies may also provide organizational change management assistance, development of coaching skills, technology implementation, strategy development, or operational improvement services. Management consultants generally bring their own, proprietary methodologies or frameworks to guide the identification of problems, and to serve as the basis for recommendations for more effective or efficient ways of performing work tasks.

There is a thin line of distinction between Business consulting & Management Consulting while the former is more concerned with the short term plans of the organisation the latter is more related to the alignment of the organisation to the long term goals & objectives so as to achieve its vision & mission effectively.

Now lets move to fields which are not so popular first a field which i find very interesting, Merchant Banking, this is one field which primarily involves financial advice and services for large corporations and wealthy individuals.

They invest their own capital in client companies and provide fee-based advice services for mergers and acquisitions, issuing letters of credit, trade consulting and co-investment in projects involving trade of one form or another among other services they provide.

Also they work with other merchant banks and financial institutions with its prominent role being that of stock underwriting, and the bank works in the realm of private equity where securities of a company are not available for public trading.

They also perform international financing activities such as foreign corporate investing, foreign real estate investment, trade finance and international transaction facilitation.

Next is Risk Management which involves assessing and quantifying business risks, then taking measures to control or reduce them. It is often a part of the compliance function.

Risk managers either may be generalists who cover several different areas, or specialists who concentrate on a single one. Within the financial services industry, the major categories of risk include : Defaults on loans extended, Losses on securities inventories held, Losses on investment securities held, Counter party risk (another financial firm failing in its obligations to yours).

Risk management personnel develop, implement and enforce rules and procedures designed to mitigate these risks etc.

Well i think this is enough for now will come up with more in later posts...

abhimukh dada, i had a doubt about this field. apologies for my ignorance.:)

the finance sector has been glamorized by the high salaries and investment banking profiles offered to the b-schoolers.
especially Farhan Akhtar has been using this glamor in his movies quite a lot.

i wanted to have an insight about the other career profiles which are offered to the finance graduates from b-schools.
e.g. i have heard of corporate finance and financial markets.
what are the other options which are there for the finance graduates?

may be getting rid of my ignorance will help others too.

The Profiles offered are:
At entry level Analyst profiles offered: Difference could be Credit Research Analyst, Equity Research Analyst or Research Analyst, Analyst : Risk Management, Commodity Research analyst

Fund Manager , Wealth Management , Portfolio Management at financial institutions which is a mix of marketing and finance

Management Trainee profiles at the entry level in PSU Banks , from there on Class 1 or Class 2 officers , Associate Vice President is also offered in good b-schools

1.If someone wants to opt finance as major in MBA,what all they can do beforehand so that they can understand the concepts better in a B-school.
Are there some books,magzines,websites?
How different certifications like CFA/NCFM help(not just in placements)?

As i said the accounting is the first step , so one must understand concepts of financial accounting to move to the next step of understanding concepts of finance
I would suggest start off from basics , like reading 11 or 12th class accounting , if one wants to start early

For conceptual knowledge i think reading about the following would help
1.Financial Institutions in the market
Commercial Banks
Insurance Companies
Mutual Funds
Provident Funds
Non Banking Financial Companies
2.Suppliers and demander of Funds
Individuals
Businesses
Governments

3.Understanding financial Markets such as Money Market/ Capital Markets , primary/secondary , debt /equity
4.Understanding financial instruments such Equity Shares, preference shares , debentures , bonds , loans ,Depository Receipts etc
One can search on Wikipedia. Investopedia.com for understanding above and NCFM modules can help you with these concepts as well

CFA and NCFM has lot of difference in terms of focus , CFA is something that starts from accounting concepts , accounting principles , and goes into depth of each and every concept, it is a world renowned certification , with an average pass percentage of 30-35%

NCFM is good for basic understanding of financial concepts pre-MBA, is not of much value add during or Post MBA , where CFA is , you can get more info on the dedicated thread for CFA :)

2.Monica talked about difficulty level of course.Is it that difficult ??
I think any person who has some basic aptitude and interest can understand anything what he/she wants to.I don't have any idea about finance specific.Kindly enlighten us on this.

Difficulty level is subjective , i for one didn't find finance difficult or monotonous at all , whatever i have studied in first year , has been really great :), so its based on perception from person to person, commerce background students have an advantage as they are familiar with the accounting concepts and hence are a step ahead of engineers , but having said that our batch topper in finance is a dentist , so i dont think profile matters over interest :)

3.When we talk about finance..ppl say u like number crunching.Is it just about numbers??
We might study about fiscal,monetary policies,economy,banking etc. also na?.What all we study in MBA(finance) that lots of numbers come into picture

Number crunching is an integral part of finance from understanding annual reports to finding feasibility of a project , everything is based on calculation of numbers

Well Thanks Abhimukh this is just the kind of thread i wanted to open some time back....just cudnt do so somehow...:splat:

But will be regular on this thread...

Thanks Vibhati for telling me abt the thread

First of all for abhimukh.

Finance

1.If someone wants to opt finance as major in MBA,what all they can do beforehand so that they can understand the concepts better in a B-school.
Are there some books,magzines,websites?
How different certifications like CFA/NCFM help(not just in placements)?

2.Monica talked about difficulty level of course.Is it that difficult ??
I think any person who has some basic aptitude and interest can understand anything what he/she wants to.I don't have any idea about finance specific.Kindly enlighten us on this.

3.When we talk about finance..ppl say u like number crunching:w00t:.Is it just about numbers??
We might study about fiscal,monetary policies,economy,banking etc. also na?.What all we study in MBA(finance) that lots of numbers come into picture ?

:lookround:

abhimukh dada, i had a doubt about this field. apologies for my ignorance.:)

the finance sector has been glamorized by the high salaries and investment banking profiles offered to the b-schoolers.
especially Farhan Akhtar has been using this glamor in his movies quite a lot.

i wanted to have an insight about the other career profiles which are offered to the finance graduates from b-schools.
e.g. i have heard of corporate finance and financial markets.
what are the other options which are there for the finance graduates?

may be getting rid of my ignorance will help others too.

thread made sticky.

Nice initative abhimukh 19, I was expecting the thread since long. It would be better if more and more people participate.

We need insights from Gabriel 666 aka Bipin Raju, ABCLICKS aka Omkar, drabir g aka Drabir Ghosh, Harsh Punjabi and other seniors and their participation is much needed.

what i entered MBA i had thought that i will take finance as major , but when i studied the subjects i found that it is not easy.

All those who think that they are good at maths can do well in finance are totally wrong believe me ...its just not maths but it is how things are done in corporate world.u have to memorize the methods (no way out --->no innovation) just use ur brain to how would you do it if you were the finance manager and have to allocate funds of a company ...and moreover its not just about fund allocation much more than that-- stocks, valuation,market value, working capital management,leasing , IPO and many more things till ur brain saturates...

it seems boring because u can't apply ur random ideas in finance as in marketing , when u study u have to learn the rules, methods but yes you apply ur learnings when you go for a business plan and projection of financial statements....it is not at all boring when u do such things....it gets really interesting and frankly i made a business plan and i enjoyed it ....although sometimes lectures do get monotonous.

And there are many opportunities in finance and yes you will get a sitting job , it may be monotonous for sometime but surely if you have the potential you can make your way out .its same with marketing , ur efforts will make you stand out. :)
but i would say finance is not for everyone , it is certainly tough to understand and needs efforts ...CFA is not necessary ,but it is certainly a plus point ....knowledge is what matters in the end .

Hie..Well I am going to do MMS from 2011 to 2013...so in 2nd year...if i take finance...wat would my job profile be like??...Is it the same as a CA/CS?...

Secondly...is CFA necesary for finance??

Thirdly...is finance an interesting sector...are subjects interesting..as like marketing??

I was expecting this thread.....

Nice initiative abhimukh saar...

My majors will be marketing, but I have not decided what would be my minor specialization. I will choose finance or operations..........

I have heard that finance people have monotonous job....how true is that. ?

First of all i want to state that door to finance starts from Financial Accounting , understanding , analyzing , comprehending ,annual financial reports is the first step


The typical managerial activity which is concerned with the planning and controlling of the firms financial resources

Balance Sheet view of the Financial Management
Total Value of the Assets = Total Liabilities
Fixed Assets + Current Assets = Long Term Debt + Shareholders Equity + Current Liability
Fixed Assets + (Current Assets- Current Liability ) = Long Term Debt + Shareholders Equity


each and every step above has immense value in understanding , how is the health of the company , what are the future plans , where are they investing , what are their expansion plans , and the list goes on .......

Corporate Finance , is the field which is offered to MBAs from top b-schools in India , but CA/CS guys dominate this field

Profiles vary from wealth manager to corporate finance ,risk management profiles , to investment banking profiles , finance is a vast pool of large number of domains , cant be answered in a single post


Finance is very very interesting , given one understands it :), its complex not at all monotonous , we will explore further as we move on with our discussions :)

CFA , FRM certifications are differentiators for one's profile , it not necessary but it helps boost one's profile , particularly guys having work ex in other fields prior to MBA

I was expecting this thread.....

Nice initiative abhimukh saar...

My majors will be marketing, but I have not decided what would be my minor specialization. I will choose finance or operations..........

I have heard that finance people have monotonous job....how true is that. ?

Hie..Well I am going to do MMS from 2011 to 2013...so in 2nd year...if i take finance...wat would my job profile be like??...Is it the same as a CA/CS?...

Secondly...is CFA necesary for finance??

Thirdly...is finance an interesting sector...are subjects interesting..as like marketing??