Phuong Nguyen, CAIA, is the first recipient of the CAIA Academic Partnership Program Scholarship, entitling her to drastically reduced exam registration fees. Ms. Nguyen passed Level I in March 2011 and Level II in September of the same year. Having earned the CAIA Designation, she recently became a member. Andrew Tetreault, Program Assistant in the CAIA Curriculum Department, asked Phuong a few questions about her experience with the program.
Andrew: Congratulations on passing both the Level I exam and the Level II exam on your first try! Could you talk about your overall experience with the CAIA Program?
Phuong: Level I seemed very suited for students, whereas Level II appeared to be more suited to those with experience in the industry. Compared to the CFA (which I am taking), CAIA appears to focus more on analysis, and the due diligence side. As to the most interesting part of the program, I found the topics found in the CIT (CAIA Current and Integrated Topics) to be particularly interesting.
A: How did Clark University's Master of Science in Finance help you obtain the CAIA?
P: Several of the courses in the program were directly applicable to the CAIA exam; in particular, case studies of Bernie Madoff, were drawn from the CAIA curriculum. Specifically, courses discussing Fixed Income, Hedge Funds, and Investment Strategies, were very helpful in preparing for the CAIA exam and many were taught by a CAIA member.
Sondra Vitols, Professor of Practice in Finance at Clark, was particularly enthusiastic about the CAIA program and taught several of the related courses. She strongly encouraged us to take the CFA and the CAIA to help us get an edge for when we graduated.
A: Do you think you would have taken the CAIA had Clark NOT been an Academic Partner, and if so, when?
P: Probably not. I likely would have waited to take the CAIA until I'd gotten a job in the industry (if then).
A: What has been your path thus far?
P: I attended Clark, where I pursued a Master of Science in Finance, had an internship at AIA [Alternative Investment Analytics in Amherst, MA], where Satyabrota Das, Senior Analyst at Alternative Investment Analytics, told me about the CAIA program and recommended that I take it. Now I have a temporary contract position in the accounting department at State Street in Boston MA.
