Choice of schools for when you don't need the degree

I am planning to take some classes to help me prepare to begin pursuing a designation, since my undergrad was a fail major. I have a choice of at least three different post-secondary institutions where I could take these classes.

Should I give a damn which I go to for any reason other than the quality of the instruction? Should I go to the better of the three just because, or maybe just in case I ever want to actually finish another undergrad at that same school?

Opinions?

Schools are useful for degrees only. If you want to learn something, read or become an apprentice.

I dont understand the question. What does "pursuing a designation" mean? "what's a fail major"?

Originally Posted by unjung

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I am planning to take some classes to help me prepare to begin pursuing a designation...
Post-bac premed? Accounting? What's your goal?

Originally Posted by Matt

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I dont understand the question. What does "pursuing a designation" mean? "what's a fail major"?

I think a fail major is something like "medieval history" or "literature", etc. Majors that might be fun but only qualify you to flip burgers.

I have no idea what pursuing a designation means.

Sorry. Was being too general. I want to do a CFA and I have no formal training in finance or accounting (although I work in sales in the former). I have a BA.

yes a PhD from Caltech is necessary before attempting the CFA

Originally Posted by Matt

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"what's a fail major"?

Clearly it wasn't English, because the OP made no sense whatsoever.

Originally Posted by unjung

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Sorry. Was being too general. I want to do a CFA and I have no formal training in finance or accounting (although I work in sales in the former). I have a BA.

I've actually been looking in to the recently.


-College is probably going to provide a lot of extraneous information.
-There should be a CFA society in damn near every major city. If you aren't in a major city, get in touch with the one nearest to you. If the others are anything like the one in Austin, they're an incredibly useful resource resource with people who legitimately want to help you.
-Check out analystforum.com
-Both the Stalla and Schweser self study programs are well respected

Hope this helps!

I'm still not entirely sure I get the question - and that may just be because I am not American...but maybe it's still not clear, so I'll try again for you by giving this a bump and another clarification seek...

So...if I understand this correctly, you already have a BA and an impressive sounding college on that certificate, and that's all sunshine lollipops and rainbows.

Now you have decided that you want to work in finance, and need some appropriate certifications to get yourself qualified or certified or something....and you don't really care where you get those certs from, as long as they mean you can go out and register yourself with the relevant bodies....

or....

You have decided you want to work in the field, and want to get a pretty solid working understanding of the subject matter, and trust that someone qualified can impart the essential knowledge to you, without needing to go to some kind of MIT-esque institution to get that schooling...since the local community college's accounting department is more than able to teach you how to prepare a balance sheet.

Was either of those right?

^^ I may be wrong, but I think the OP is driving at the following:

You can gain CFA certification without a relevant degree, but you still need some education on the topics it covers (e.g. you're probably not going to pass the certification exam with a philosophy degree, but you might with a philosophy degree and some finance classes). To get some education on the topic OP wants to take a few classes on it, but he doesn't intend to actually earn a degree at whatever school he chooses for the classes. Now he's trying to decide whether there's any reason to care about the reputation of the school he at which he takes those classes, given he doesn't intend to actually earn a degree at said school, and, as a consequence, probably doesn't need to worry about the intangibles that come with having a degree from a better school. What's complicating his decision is the fact that he thinks he might ultimately get a degree from whatever school he chooses, but he's not entirely certain about it.

If that's the case, it's kind of a blend of your two guesses.

To the OP, I think it depends entirely upon the likelihood of ultimately pursuing a degree. If you're leaning towards actually getting a degree, you'd probably be wise to choose the best school. But if the degree is just an unlikely "I might do this eventually" kind of thing, I'd just go with the one that has the best balance of cost effectiveness and quality.

If it's not going on your resume then I don't think it matters. And just because a school has a good reputation doesn't mean **** about the quality of teaching in undergrad classes.

Random semi related anecdote...I knew a dude in Singapore who kind of had nothing to do with his time, so he used to show up at all kinds of classes at the National University of Singapore and do all the required reading despite not actually being a student. Big-ass classes like Psych 101 or whatever, 100 odd people in the lecture...no one ever noticed. He probably got a better education out of that and general interest than most of the real students.

Originally Posted by Matt

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I dont understand the question. What does "pursuing a designation" mean? "what's a fail major"?

Originally Posted by Matt

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I'm still not entirely sure I get the question - and that may just be because I am not American..

Nah, it's ( not understanding the OP ) not because you're not an American. I'm American as can be, but older, and I thought he was using some "young" lingo.

I thought he meant what is a good "degree mill" where you can get a degree even though it's basically worthless but allows you to say you have the degree.

I hear Phoenix U. is good for that. Anyway the thread seems righted now. Carry on.

You want advice?

Go study for the GMAT. Get crazy high scores so you can get into a top MBA program.

Do you MBA in finance and get a job for a bank or hedge fund. Work a year or 2 and then get your CFA.


That's what you wanted to hear, right? But you knew it already.