My journey for somethings

The interview about CFA and my career

I was interviewed by the CFA Institute last month. My interview will be made into a video to create a series of videos that will provide career inspiration and advice for students and graduates who are studying for, or considering studying for, the CFA Program. In addition to myself, there were other amazing colleagues interviewed.

The series will feature CFA charterholders from across the globe and from different industries to demonstrate the breadth of opportunities available for charterholders and ensure different communities and industries are represented.

I share my interview script below. The interview consisted of five parts, in which I answered questions about why I chose the CFA program and my current career path. I hope it's helpful to those interested in learning more about the CFA and private equity careers.

Part 1 - Overview of Career

Part 2 - Enjoyable Aspects of the Job

Part 3 - CFA Journey

Part 4 - Challenges in CFA Journey

Part 5 - Advice for CFA Candidates

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Part 1 - Overview of Career

1) Please introduce yourself (name and title)

- My name is Sungho Ha, I’m an Investment manager in a private equity fund.

2) What motivated you to work in finance?

- As a university student, I traveled to Manhattan by myself. The sight of Wall Street was majestic and exciting, and since I first started my career, the Korean financial market has continued to develop. Even within the same financial industry, there are various products and clients. I am motivated by an environment where I can continue to learn and grow.

3) Tell us a bit about how your career progressed, from 2006 until now?

- I started my career as a credit underwriter in a savings bank in 2006, the main target was small and medium-sized enterprises. I always had the desire to move into a larger market, so I studied for the CFA exam. About 10 years into my career, I entered the investment banking market. I analyzed real estate investments in the risk department and then moved to the IB division to work on alternative investments. Now I'm in the private equity market, and I joined as a set-up member with my colleagues from the IB division, and we've been working together for four years now.

4) In what ways have you leveraged your CFA knowledge and skills in the private equity sector, especially in buyouts and growth capital investments for small and mid-cap companies?

- The act of investing in a company, especially in a buyout, doesn't have to be financially literate. There's HR, sales, marketing, and more to consider. One person cannot be an expert in all these areas. I participate in the project as a financial specialist. As a financial specialist, CFA charter and knowledge give credibility to the project members. Trust between project members is essential to a successful deal closing.

5) Could you share insights into how your career in credit underwriting and the alternative investment division prepared you for the CFA journey and its application in your current financial role?

- I believe that every career we experience is valuable. I think that the private equity business is a fine art of the financial industry. My role now is to invest in and grow companies. My experience as a credit underwriter and alternative investment manager has been invaluable not only in preparing for the CFA journey but also in my current practice.

Part 2 - Enjoyable Aspects of the Job

1) Please describe your current role

- I work at a private equity fund, where I am involved in the deal sourcing, investment decision-making, and exit process.

2) How do you incorporate CFA principles, such as ethical conduct and analytical skills, in your daily work in private equity, and how has this contributed to your professional satisfaction?

- Private equity funds have an investment horizon of five years or more. We are meeting clients and making investment decisions with a long-term perspective. That’s why ethics and trust are at the center. CFA Code of Ethics, such as duty to client and conflict of interest, often apply. The advantage of the CFA ethics curriculum is that we can imagine real-life applications through various case studies from Levels 1-3. In addition, analytical skills are naturally acquired as we study a wide range of financial knowledge.

3) Which parts of your professional life do you find satisfying and rewarding?

- Private equity is not a ready-to-wear product, which means it can be customized to the client’s needs. So, we need to think creatively and constantly learn. This environment makes me grow. The people we meet are usually the founders or key executives of the company, and we learn a lot from them about how to approach our life beyond business.

Part 3 - CFA Journey

1) What is the CFA program about?

- I believe the CFA Program is that trains financial professionals with ethics at its core.

2) What motivated you to pursue the CFA charter?

- Desire to move to a larger market, for example, loan market to investment market, small company to large company. I thought that the CFA charter was based on my passion.

3) Could you elaborate on the CFA community's role in your professional development, particularly how you connected with professionals in roles you aspired to, and how these connections have been influenced by the CFA charter and the CFA Society?

- Now I'm a board member of CFA Society Korea and The chair of the University relations committee. I think that I've been more active in the CFA community than others. The CFA community is a diverse group of professionals. I created my career path by connecting with people who had the jobs I wanted. For example, when I was at risk, I tried to understand the IB business to better communicate with sales. In the process, I was able to move my role to the IB division. In both my current and previous jobs, I made connections through the CFA community.

Part 4 - Challenges in the CFA Journey

1) What challenges did you face, and what specific strategies did you employ to overcome these challenges in your CFA journey, such as failing specific levels of the exam multiple times?

- I invest 7 years to complete the CFA exam, with 1 time failure for Level 1, 2 times failures for Level 2, and 3 times failures for Level 3. I started studying for exams in my 20s and ended in my 30s. I think the main reasons for limitations include no knowledge of accounting at that time, and English is not my first language. I wasn't about to give up. I thought about what I could improve on if I failed the exam, and I gradually increased the amount of time I spent studying, and I felt like I had a knack for it.

2) How has your CFA journey contributed to your personal development in terms of resilience and perseverance, and what advice do you have for CFA candidates facing similar obstacles?

- Setting goals, allocating time, and doing it repeatedly seems like a simple but powerful resilience training process. If I had passed the CFA exams all at once, I would not think about that. I'm still balancing work and exercise, work and family, and work and studying. I think the CFA exam process had a huge impact on my attitude about life.

3) Can you share your insights on how CFA candidates can harness their CFA knowledge and skills to navigate through the difficulties encountered in their journey to attain the CFA charter?

- As you know, the CFA curriculum subjects are diverse, including ethics, fixed income, and corporate finance. There is always a connection between what you are doing now and what you want to do in the future. Imagine the thrill of finding that common ground.

Part 5 - Advice for CFA Candidates

1) You emphasized the importance of balance in life and its integration with the CFA journey. Can you provide specific guidance on maintaining work-study balance, specifically in the context of the CFA curriculum and exams?

- It's hard to find time to study while working deliberately, so it's important to take advantage of spare time that comes naturally. For example, I used weekends as my main study time, and I used my commute time and lunch breaks to review, you should constantly try to apply the CFA curriculum to what you are doing now and what you want to do in the future. This will keep you motivated.

2) Could you offer CFA-focused advice for aspiring candidates on building resilience and determination in the face of challenges and setbacks in their CFA journey?

- First of all, I don't think I ever doubted myself. Of course, it's hard when you fail an exam. But I tried to get back into my study routine after a few days. There were days when I felt comfortable staying in that routine because I didn't give up on the exam. I think this process trained me in resilience, which is one of the great assets in my life.