Certification or Licensing
Since you’ll need a strong finance background to be successful as a principal, it’s a good idea to become certified by professional associations. One of the most popular credentials is the chartered financial analyst (CFA) designation, which is offered by the CFA Institute. To enroll in the CFA Program and register for the first exam (there are three levels of certification), applicants must satisfy one of the following requirements:
- have a bachelor’s (or equivalent) degree or be in the final year of their bachelor’s degree program
- have four years of professional work experience (which does not have to be investment related)
- have a combination of professional work experience and education that totals at least four years.
The certificate program covers topics such as ethical and professional standards, quantitative methods, financial reporting and analysis, corporate finance, equity investments, and alternative investments. Visit https://www.cfainstitute.org/programs/cfaprogram for more information.
Other popular certifications include:
- chartered alternate investment analyst (Chartered Alternate Investment Analyst Association)
- certified investment management analyst (Investments and Wealth Institute)
- certified treasury professional, certified corporate financial planning and analysis professional (Association for Financial Professionals)