Today is 241 days until May 19, 2026.
Why is that important? Well the exam schedule for CFA (chartered financial analyst) Level 2 which is held around the world begins on May 19 and ends on May 23. In Vancouver the exam date will be one or two of those dates depending on I suppose what they expect the demand will be.
I passed Level 1 in August 2024 so I've left it a while, over a year to start studying again. The CFA designation is useful in finance in Canada and is a recognized way to become licensed as a portfolio manager. There are other pathways but CFA is most common to the best of my knowledge. If I became licensed as a portfolio manager I'd likely be able to grow my compensation and ultimately become more financially secure. So the career growth is one of the motivations to study.
Separately I passed my bachelor's degree in finance with a 2.2 (lower 2nd class honours) and I think in interviews that could hinder my progress. Having a well recognized qualification would help my anxiety about interviews or background checks even though my degree was completed in 2013 so probably doesn't matter as much anymore.
Further to the above studying helps me to develop disciplined habits, learn new things and helps me to be constantly bettering myself. For most of the course topics for CFA Level 2 I am genuinely curious to learn more and how to apply it to the real world.
It feels like doing something difficult to improve myself is a good thing to do.