Because in terms of finance, the American market is the most developed. If you can go to the United States to study for a gold medal, it doesn't matter whether the school is good or bad. As long as it is a kind of university, you can learn a lot of basic financial knowledge. Then choose a specific direction according to your hobbies and personal qualities. For example, some people make models, some people do traders, some people do analysis, and some people do consulting. If you have to do textual research, it is recommended to take CFA. 1 is not difficult to get, and many people in China have got it. Level 2 is a bit difficult, but if you graduate with a master's degree in finance, the difficulty is not too great, and there are relatively few people in China. Level 3 is very difficult, because they all write essays, and their financial knowledge is excellent, and their English is good, which is rare in China. If you have passed the third grade, worked for N years and got the registration certificate, it will be a great success. If you want to teach yourself finance, I think you should learn accounting well first, because many things are based on accounting, such as IPO, some basic ratios in the stock market and so on. Learning accounting well means learning some basic concepts of financial mathematics and financial tools, and then learning basic trading methods and investment skills. These are the foundations.
Your last question is career planning. I'm not qualified to answer it. I'm worried myself. But on the whole, if you follow your own professional direction step by step, there will always be prospects. If you want to find a job more conveniently, be a model. If you want to have more room for promotion, then do risk control, which is blank in China. I have read some papers about VaR, which basically belong to the level before 2000, and my homework is higher than these papers. Since it is blank, there is a risk of not finding a job. Once you find it, it is infinite.
That's basically it. . . All the above are my own experiences, and I hope it will help you.