Fund accounting… and to some extent fund “finance” (non-investment roles)can be somewhat tedious and repetitive as its the financial reporting for investment funds.
Passing CFA level 1 will be a big plus since it will show you do have the basic knowledge of finance/econ/acct to succeed in an entry level finance role (or financial consulting) at the entry/senior level.
Few paths to consider:
1) financial analyst – depending on your skills in presentations, excel and general financial knowledge (in an interview setting and the type of company you are targeting), this could be easy or difficult. Some companies are cautious in hiring accountants for financial analyst roles. They will really test your overall financial knowledge and analytical aptitude… granted there's a huge variety in “financial analyst” roles… a lot are just glorified accountants anyway.
2) business school – depending on your stats (GMAT, GPA, overall resume and interviewing), you will get an idea of the range of schools you could target… this is heavily influenced by your career choice. If you want investment banking or top consulting, you'll need a top MBA… if you're fine in a mid-level corporate role or other non “elite” job, there are a lot of schools in the top 20-75 range that could be much more cost efficient and still get access to the career change you want.
3) big 4 / public acct firms in due diligence / M&A / financial advisory – most big 4 try to hire top performers from audit practices, a very select few straight from undergrad, and some from MBA programs (it's a bit of a mixed bag here, but the majority are top performers from audit that wanted to move into finance)… I'd certainly encourage you to start networking and talking to associates, managers, and recruiters, but don't be too hopeful since these are not huge groups with a lot of hiring needs and they fill a lot of spots internally and from other public acct firms… not because they are more deserving, just a pattern I've observed
….. Since youalready have a CPA, a low risk move may be to try to get into a national / big 4 firm in an audit role. It's not a silver bullet, but could help you get more recognizable experience overall, and if you really play the long game and know what you want (due diligence / financial advisory), then you can network and build toward that the entire time you are there so when the right opportunity ccomes up then you will be well positioned politically and professionally to make that happen… worst case, you leave the firm and then hopefully have some more name recognition and can try to make a move into a financial analyst / FP&A role later
A few different paths, and they aren't mutually exclusive. If it were me… I'd shoot for moving into a public acct firm since I think the chances are good with a CPA. Also more than welcome to recruit elsewhere
In parallel, I'd also start preparing for CFA l1 in Jun/Dec. Depending on time, also figure out when to go for GMAT and MBA applications for fall '19 or '20 admission (full time), or almost on a rolling basis for part-time programs.
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