Education · 1 of 5

The path

A business degree gets you in. Exams written while you work move you up.

1. 1

   High school

   Grades 11 and 12

   Math, accounting, business and economics. Grades matter because commerce programs are competitive.

2. 2

   Bachelor's degree

   4 years

   Commerce, finance, economics or accounting. Co-op programs at Waterloo, Laurier and Toronto Metropolitan University place you in banks before you graduate.

3. 3

   First job

   1 to 2 years

   Junior analyst, a bank rotational program, or an accounting role. Most people start in corporate finance or at a bank, not on a trading floor.

4. 4

   CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) program

   3 to 4 years

   Three exams, about 300 hours of study each, written while you work. The charter also needs 4,000 hours of investment-related work over at least 36 months.

5. 5

   Senior analyst or manager

   After 5 to 8 years

   Lead models and reports, present to executives, or move into portfolio management.