<p>I've been self-studying finance for a while now, but my degree isn't in finance -- it's in philosophy. (I was pre-law.)</p>
<p>The CFA seems tempting because you can demonstrate your knowledge without having to go through a defined class schedule, but it requires four years of work experience. Is there any way to demonstrate to an interviewer that you've successfully self-studied finance without a degree in the subject? The "wall street training" courses look interesting, but I've seen those bashed here before.</p>
<p>Are you coming straight from college?</p>
<p>The problem with CFA is that even though it is great for knowledge, it only makes up 1 line on your entire resume. You can find the materials for CFA via torrent and study on your own just for your own knowledge and take your time in taking the exams, but the most important thing is going to be getting work/internship experience. That will go further than the CFA line at the bottom of your resume. If you can combine both (take the CFA while getting some finance experience), that will be even better than experience alone.</p>