I decided to reason with myself, and reason at length:
Why CFA ?
A: Increases employability (given that i am a Zoology graduate, a CFA would at least bring something concretely 'financial' on my CV); Makes me more competitive amongst batch-mates; Everyone else was doing it! (i m not sure if the last reason has the potential to be the first reason)
Why not CFA?
A: INR 50,000 (a l'il too much)
What if i don't clear it?
It's an unnecessary feeling of insecurity that i must not succumb to.
My mentor-cousin suggested me to focus on academics instead of add-ons like CFA, etc.
Peer-pressure won; every other reasoning went down the drain. In came money from home-sweet-home and on Feb 17 i had joined the rat race. This time around, there were more rats than ever. Almost 50+ people from my batch were taking L1. And i was one of them. Different reasons, one road - L1!
Because i had just witnessed a 'huge' cash outflow, studying (at least immediately) was imperative. So i picked Schweser's notes and started. One week gone, and I was still in the first session. Gradually, the feeling of having undertaken a financial risk abated. Mid-terms, assignments were throwing their heads up and an End-term exam was also waiting. Given that i had promised my cousin to un-screw my already screwed up CGPA, L1 took a backseat. Summer placement? Still no where in sight...
It was April end and i was 10% through with my preparation. One month to go, five books to decode and a summer internship to undertake. Welcome sleepless nights. (whoever said they were gone forever!) I had to make every decision of mine subservient to L1. Taking up an accommodation in CP (Connuaght Place) at more than double the price. Sleeping less. Eating fast. Not wasting time on washing clothes (in fact i ended up wearing a pair of trouser 12 days!) But the internship couldn't be compromised with. So L1 was yet to become the 'bird's eye' for my eyes.
3rd week of May and i got the news that i had to show up at Mumbai for my 'interviewing' my prospective jijaji! Hell broke loose on me. Dad wasn't going to go to Mumbai without me and 'sentiments' outweighed rationale and i was asked to 'squeeze out' one day from my CFA prep days. Priorities had changed, and CFA still wasn't up at the top. I realized that I'll have to take a week's leave from my internship. Fortunately, my mentor was planning a trip in the same week and i was saved the trouble of having to answer the difficult questions at IIFCL. So, i got a 10-day leave and left for Mumbai. If only i would have known what i was in for. Receiving people from airport, 'interviewing' di's prospective groom, helping di for the 'interview', making arrangements, attending birthday parties, attending engagement and then seeing everybody off. It all ended on May 31st night. While my happiness knew no bounds at my sis having got engaged in Mumbai, i also realized i had made a terrible shit out of preparations. What was thought to be a one-day commitment turned to take 3 vital days out of my CFA preps.
6 days between me and 'CFA Sunday', and i had only completed first reading of 3 out of 5 books while my roommate had completed 3 revisions and most of those rats were into their 2nd revision. With 6 days to go, CFA was the only thought, It was the fuel, it was the fire. I had read IITians, etc. telling in their interviews to local newspapers in Ranchi how they used to put 16-20 hours daily, for months. I only used to quip "These guys have got to be crazy!" But I did what i had never imagined in my life: 16-18 hours of studies per day for a week. Nights in the college library and quad, 5-10 (am) sleep, etc.. Life was hell. Though i must admit, with all modesty, that the preparation was not boring. In fact, it was enjoyable and kept my 'enthu' going. June 7, CFA came and gone. I had, what i thought, a reasonable set of exams (L1 had two exam seatings). I had done whatever i could. Well, almost. Now was the time to reshuffle my priorities. While most of my batch-mates were headed to their homes to spend a vacation, i had to go back to complete my internship, which i very responsibly did. Fortunately, i had a great internship and the learning was immense to say the least, Three months of CFA-internship-etc. juggle had changed something in me. Managed to get a week's vacation at Ranchi most of which, ironically enough, went in Public Sector Banks' offices.
Was back at NM after a long time. Fresh faces were seen all around, and i realized that i was now a 'senior'. It took me a month to settle with the 'senior' feeling in my final year of graduation. Somehow, i feel there have to people senior to me! Here, the setting-in of the 'senior' feeling didn't take time. College results were declared and i got a GPA of 3.50 (15th in the batch of 250+). Suddenly, i was doing better in my classes. I was doing assignments on time and people were asking my inputs (it had been the other way round in whole of the first year). SFM (Strategic Financial Management) classes were bringing the best out of me. Everything had changed. July 28, the D-day had come. 6:30 pm it was, and rushed to the library. While the Internet was loading, i was reciting my patented "Trayam vakam, yajamhe.....". As the dots (of Internet) were increasing, everything that had been made sub-servient to CFA L1 (and everything that made CFA L1 sub-servient to it) was flashing before my eyes. Life had come to standstill. The page opened and my eyes caught the glimpse of 'PASS'.
Yuhhhhhuuuuuuuuu! CFA L1, finally!
Call Dad, Call Mom, Call Sisters, Call friends, Call Call Call. The burden of expectations was too huge to handle. I just didn't know what to do. So i 'discharged' my cell balance, to talk. I knew, life for me would never be the same hereafter. Something had changed over the course of past three months. Something had changed forever...
Thank you God, thank you!
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