How I Studied with a Full Time Job | CFA Study Routine

This was me in 2019. But more interestingly, this was my calendar in 2019. At that time I was working a full time finance job, studying 7 days a week for the CFA program, working on this YouTube channel, and trying to do all the normal things in life.

Link to my course- The CFA Study Blueprint:

Don't get me wrong, 2019 was one of the best years of my life so far. But it was pretty crazy. The routine that I utilized during this time was intense, but simple. And it allowed me to do all of these things pretty successfully. I passed both CFA exams I studied for that year, I made big steps in my career, and planted the seeds for what has now become the 467th best finance YouTube channel.

All kidding aside, the primary reason I was able to pass the CFA exams during that time was attributable to this schedule. And since then, I have seen several people or outlets discuss what is a very similar strategy to this, and why it can be so beneficial to accomplishing goals. So we are going to walk through exactly how this schedule works, showing you the rules and systems that make it so successful.

Keep in mind this is a schedule for a young professional, with a significant other, but before kids. I really don't think I could have studied enough to pass the CFA exams before having kids, but I know there are some people out there who do it, so hats off to them.

The first thing to do when building an effective schedule is to understand how much total time is needed for the priorities. For me and I think many of you watching this video, time spent working is not negotiable, but it's not the main priority we are working around here either. Your work hours are more set in stone, sure they can fluctuate day to day, but what I mean is, working feels more required. It feels like it owns your time more. So we can start there and say, okay I have to spend from 8 am to 6pm commuting to work, working, then commuting home. And 99% of the time, there really isn't any flexibility here. Now I was really lucky to work a job that was mostly 40 hours a week, with maybe 1 or 2 nights going late. I understand for many of you who work more than that, you will need to push this next part of your schedule later on, but it can still work that way too so stay with me.

So if your next priority is studying, like for a CFA exam. You need to really understand the total amount of hours required. We know the average CFA candidate studieds 300 hours, and we also know most CFA candidates fail and will never become charterholder. The reason I found it important to know how many total hours I was going to study, was because we are also going to prioritize THESE hours in the schedule, but more on this in a bit.

Finally, for the third, fourth, or fifth hobby type things can take a backseat, but you still should get an idea on the amount of hours that will go into each. For me these were spending time with my wife (30 minutes per day), playing video games (a few hours on Fridays and the weekend) and working on YouTube videos for about 3 flexible hours per week. These things can be shuffled around, but should still happen just so that your life isn't 100% consumed by the 2 priorities. Let's talk about how that prioritization happens.

If you have an idea of something you want me to cover in depth, please let me know because I take your requests seriously. Will be back with more CFA Exam tips in a couple of weeks so please submit more questions you would like to hear answered. Love you all!

- AJ

Let’s connect:

*** The information in this video is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional financial advice. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information, contained in this video is for general information purposes only and does not replace a consultation with your financial or tax professional***

[yukiwang]

AJ, I cannot agree with you anymore. I remembered that I spent 500 hours to pass level 2 exam and felt like I was an idiot while others just spent 300 hours on the exam LOL. I also want to tell you that I finally passed level 3 exam and just submitted my application to become a charterholder. Your videos were a great support for me while studying for the exam. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences, thoughts and updates about CFA. Hope everyone who’s still struggling with the exam and watching this video will become a CFA Charaterholder.

[lanceroman]

When I was studying for the exams, I made sure set aside some time to cry about how hard it is to be in the CFA program. It helped a lot.

[logicsmathe]

This is the best video on how to beat procrastination 💔. My biggest enemy when wanting to study and work

[prateekgupta]

Man thanks so much for posting this video

I'm a chartered accountant working in a consultancy role at one of the big 4s

This is exactly what I needed to hear from someone. Thanks so much !!

[zahraabdi]

This video, this reminds me of the energy and the commitment I had when I did levels 1 &2 and that really paid off! it’s true that we have to work hard for everything that we want in this world there is no shortcut about it, thanks AJ for reminding us this and for your motivational words 😊

[tamaraalleyne]

Imagine an ACCA student watching this video for tips and tricks regarding studying with a full time job lol. Great info!

[vietphu]

Amazing content. But I have to say that your dad has a big role in your achievement as his discipline and how you have witnessed it since a child. DAD. SO PROUD OF YOU!

[lesegomakone]

Best plan I’ve ever heard.. thank you 🙏 I like the it’s REQUIRED lesson, absolutely life changing l, never looked at it that way.

[odenjustice]

Heh, the way I did college was similar. The DoD demanded a degree and suggested WGU (online, self driven, accredited). Just between work, school, and sleep 133 hours out of the 168 hours in my week were scheduled that entire year -_-. Upside, I did 6 years of college in 1 and only spent 7k-ish for my IT degree and MBA (its pay per semester, not credit hour).

The "it dies or I die. There is no compromise" mindset is a hell of a thing.

[MrWchristi]

Hey, AJ. Loved the story you shared about your dad! Thanks for sharing and great message here, man!

[zadaqom]

Adopting this mindset is really a game changer. Thank you for sharing! In your daily study session, what was your objective (or what is ideal) - Is it clocking your set hours of studying (e.g. 3 hours), or is it finishing up a module/reading and/or set of questions? If it’s the latter, what do you do when you’ve already clocked in your hours but you’re not yet finished w/ your reading or answering practice questions?

[fuhaedalotaibi.]

Great information and advices! Thank you my friend!

[Gogoel-qf]

Thank you for sharing this! Looking forward to your scheduling for people w kids lol.

[darwinpetersen]

Wow I'm actually surprised how much time I probably waste ever week I'm definitely going to try this method

[rajgopal]

great ....my DAD was like that never complained....thank u

[kodiakgriz]

Ii didn't pursue CFA until in 40$... thus Wife two children travel multiple mortgages... time management crucial... looking back was a fast moving whirlwind... NEVER missed time with my girls however committre to post 9pm and per 7AM studying allowedn zeron familysacrifice .... usually reading on bike multitasking exercise

[juandre]

Would you recommend taking a year off and studying full time L1-3 or doing a hybrid with work towards the 4800 hours and studying? I really want to put myself in the best possible position to get good marks but dont want to set myself back a year

[ismailbutt]

if you watch this video muted, you'll see a crazy villain asking batman to do as he says

[suli]

Absolutely loved the part where you mentioned it's a requirement to study 3 hours a day, not an option. Just wanted to ask did you usually take any breaks in these sessions and are they included in these 3 hours? And was it the same amount of time on the weekend also? 🤔

[lucasestarellas]

Hi! Nice video, highly motivational. Do you recommend to buy the CFA books for the level 1 or will the learning ecosystem work as well?