<p>Is it worth doing the self study program at wallstreetprep.com? It seems like a great way to get a Certification in Financial and Valuation Modeling, and putting it on a resume could be a way to say "hey I don't have actual work experience, but I'm serious about working in finance". Is it even recognizable? Or is it a waste of money?</p>
<p>Honestly, I don't think a certificate is worth it.. I think that stating that you have completed the course is enough to indicate that you have taken the effort to complete the training and to prepare for the work. I have a digital version of the premium package that I am willing to sell for 50$ (the original package costs 500$); just pm me if you're interested.</p>
<p>Absolutely not. The certiicate will not be respected on Wall Street and is just a money making racket taking advantage of naive kids.</p>
<p>I agree that the certificate isn't worth the original price. I thought I got a great deal getting a great set of training materials for the fraction of the price. Im sure firms would see it as a positive thing that you are displaying your interest in finance by learning these basic skills that most kids don't have the opportunity to learn in the classroom. It's like saying that an engineering firm would disapprove of kids going out of their way and learning differential equations by themselves.</p>
<p>don't do it, it's a waste of money.</p>
<p>well i should say, don't do it if it's because you want to tell Wall St. you've done it. But i don't know how much it really will help anyways.</p>
<p>Wall street prep will help you land a regional m&a internship if you don't have any contacts. I got a few interviews because of it. But for the most part, i'd recommend networking and getting a regional internship before applying to a BB firm.</p>
<p>Some HR recruiters do frown on it. Since it makes you seem "spoiled." But if you pay for it with your own cash, there aint anything anyone can say.</p>
<ol>
<li>Get a middle market internship.</li>
<li>If you fail by soph to junior summer, buy it and pray.</li>
</ol>
<p>i know its a very late message but i am interested in buying. please let me know if it is still available.
thanks</p>
<p>The “course” offerings and tests that they administer have no credibility on the street, and they have no connections to help you. Their instructors are of poor quality, and they care more about making money by churning out their seminars and asking for leads. As for “their” material, they do a basic model, and they don’t have any in-house expertise as they take whatever they can online to use in their courses. For example, they did a section on accounting for software recognition, and they basically summarized a few points from a paper given freely on Deloitte’s website which they probably googled to get it. </p>
<p>For anyone thinking about taking their seminars, don’t waste your time or money. You are better off learning on your own via books and websites ([Mergers</a> & Acquisitions](<a href=“http://www.macabacus.com%5DMergers”>http://www.macabacus.com), [WallStreetOasis.com</a> | Your Finance Community. Advice on Finance Interviews and Careers in Finance.](<a href=“http://www.wallstreetoasis.com%5DWallStreetOasis.com”>http://www.wallstreetoasis.com)), and spending your time networking (career center, alumni, company visits, etc.). Be knowledgeable about the current state of the markets and how that affects whatever area you want to be in (e.g. increased volatility in the commodities markets presents good trading opportunities for traders, ipo and m&a seem to be slowly picking up, but the threat of a double dip may make this current window of opportunity brief)</p>
<p>The certificate is worthless and writing that you completed the program in your resume might even hurt you. That being said, if you put in time to go through programs like this, you will at least do well in the technical interview questions and might get more out of your internships. So the exposure to modeling can definitely help you, but the fact that you have done it, by itself, isn’t going to help you at all.</p>
<p>“Absolutely not. The certiicate will not be respected on Wall Street and is just a money making racket taking advantage of naive kids.”</p>
<p>I find it amusing that people have such reactions to courses that prepare you for what you’d actually do as a banker. Is going to Harvard also a money making racket taking advantage of naive kids? Because id argue, as someone who has gone through wall street prep that this course, along with my high GPA, the brand name of my school (I go to NYU), and good interviewing skills, are all reasons that i landed an IB internship. I think it’s definitely possible that I would have been just fine in the interviews last year without it, and would have gotten up to speed in my internship this summer without it, but it would have been MUCH harder. </p>
<p>For $500 why would i leave that to chance after my parents shelled out $30k to put me through classes last year that were at best tangential to what i want to be doing when i graduate? I just dont get the logic people who dog it are using - but keep it up because if others dont use it, it only makes me relatively more competitive. </p>
<p>I do agree that the certification is not that valuable. You are much safer going through the program and crushing the interviews without setting any expectations.</p>
<p>would it still be available ? can i buy it from you</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>It’s pretty cool that your parents bought you your life.</p>
<p>Here’s a life story of a really close friend who now works at a hedge fund.</p>
<ul>
<li>At age 16, dropped out of high school because his mom had people who did/dealt drugs around the house. He had to get a GED.</li>
<li>He wanted to join the military to get away but no branch of service would take him with a GED. The Army National Guard was the only branch of service that accepted him.</li>
<li>Applied to college but only Rutgers - Camden would admit him. The only reason he could to go college was State Tuition Waiver (due to his service in the ARNG).</li>
<li>Smoked his classes and transferred to Rutgers - New Brunswick School of Engineering.</li>
<li>Smoked his classes and transferred to Cooper Union as a MechE major.</li>
<li>Involuntarily deployed to Iraq twice.</li>
<li>Smoked his classes at Cooper Union and was directly admitted to a MS MechE program at Cooper Union.</li>
</ul>
<p>Today, he works as a quantitative analyst at a hedge fund in NYC. He bases at 100k/year and works only 50 hours a week which is allowing him to pursue an Army Special Forces career in the Army National Guard.</p>
<p>What makes one competitive and respected? Taking ***** in life, being able to endure and succeed without handouts. (Also, having an IQ > 115 helps).</p>
<p>And guess what, not a d*mn certification helped him get his job.</p>
<p>My son, a Wharton grad works in a hedge fund in NYC as an investment professional, the ones who get the big bonuses if his strategy group makes money. He did not need any certification to start his career in IB. He also did not need an MBA or any advanced degree.</p>
<p>Here are the facts</p>
<p>I’m a 30 year old CPA</p>
<p>I received my bachelor’s from a no name school</p>
<p>I have tremendous skill in interpreting financial data</p>
<p>I spend most of my spare time researching stock valuation, investing techniques, etc for my own investment purposesand I would love to start a career in equity research–seeing as I already devote a majority of my spare time to that field anyway.</p>
<p>I haven’t been exposed to financial modeling</p>
<p>My questions are as follows:</p>
<p>Being that I don’t have big-school pedigree or industry experience, how does someone like myself with vast experience interpreting financial statements go about getting a job in the equity research/analysis arena? Doesn’t have to be Wall Street–any firm will do as long as I can start at least somewhere near my current salary of $75K</p>
<p>I was tempted to purchase WSP to gain exposure to financial modeling but I’ve seen a lot of negative reviews for the product and I’m hesitant to buy. Is it worth it? Where else should I look to learn more about financial modeling?</p>
<p>I really appreciate any feedback given.</p>
<p>I</p>
<p>Just a simple search on amazon yielded this.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Financial-Modeling-Simon-Benninga/dp/0262026287/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top[/url]”>http://www.amazon.com/Financial-Modeling-Simon-Benninga/dp/0262026287/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top</a></p>
<p>There are a lot of Wall Street prep programs. WSP obviously as well as BIWS and I know there are a couple others. WallStreetOasis.com forums is your best bet.</p>
<p>BTW, enrolling in a formal financial modeling class and getting a certification from the program is not going to get you a leg up vs. self-study. You will be competing with very bright individuals who could just pick things up very easily by self-study. You may look into CFA studies.</p>