hiiii (≧◡≦)
today im gonna talk about something that still makes me mad. the anbima certification. the one everyone sells as a passport to the finance world. spoiler, its not.
if u got here searching if anbima c-pro is worth it, ill save u time. the knowledge is good, but the paper itself wont put u in the formal market.
for those who dont know, anbima is a brazilian self-regulatory org for the financial market. they had the cea (certified investment specialist) which is being discontinued and replaced by c-pro i and c-pro r.
i took the cea back then, passed on the first try, and in the end the only answer came from portfel. no bank, no credit union, nothing in the formal sector gave me a chance.
now i still have to pay another ~300 reais to migrate to c-pro. anbima never misses a chance to take ur money ne (－‸ლ)
what i did to pass the cea
i actually studied. not that one-week-before cramming and pray to pass. it was months of dedication, paid materials, mock exams, summaries, the whole thing (｡•́︿•̀｡)
by the way i recommend t2 educação! tiago feitosa is a great teacher and their material is really good. if u wanna study for the certification, thats where id point u. the problem isnt the content, its what happens after u get the paper~
(and no im not being paid for this, especially since im criticizing the usefulness of the certs lol)
i got the anbima cea, the investment specialist cert. passed on first try. then did the recertification which costs more money and is a huge pain. spent money i didnt really have, but thought "itll be worth it, its a career investment". and now anbima decides cea doesnt count anymore, creates c-pro i and c-pro r, and i have to pay again to migrate. feels like a joke.
i had an mba in macroeconomics and portfolio management, understood products, fixed income, equities, derivatives. i wasnt someone who took the exam by luck. i knew what i was doing.
exam, materials, recertification every two years... add it all up and u spent money that couldve gone somewhere else. and the worst part is no one tells u beforehand that the cert alone opens zero doors. its like an add-on nobody asked for.
and the market? ghosted
with all that baggage, i sent resumes to banks, credit unions, brokerages, asset managers, everywhere in the formal finance sector. the result was the same across the board. silence or not selected (´-ω-`)
not even for entry level. not even internship. not even assistant. not even telemarketing for investments. the door was closed and i was knocking with my certification in hand like it was a key. it wasnt.
the only thing that showed up was portfel, as an independent investment consultant. no signed work card, no fixed salary, no benefits, nothing. it was the only open door and it had no walls around it.
and i wasnt asking for manager positions. i was asking for anything. any entry point. and nothing.
but the studying was worth it
before anyone thinks im saying dont study, let me make one thing clear. the learning process was totally worth it (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧
studying fixed income, equities, derivatives, product structure... it gave me a solid base to understand the market. today i can look at a portfolio and know whats wrong. i can read a report and understand the real risks. i can talk investments without getting lost. thats a real and permanent gain.
the problem isnt the knowledge. the problem is thinking the certification itself is what gets u into the market. it doesnt. the market doesnt care about ur certificate. it cares about ur networking and ur sales skills. the knowledge stays with u, and thats what really matters in the long run.
what actually matters
the truth is in the finance market what counts isnt technical knowledge. it isnt studying. it isnt certification. what counts is connections and commercial charm (¬_¬)
if u have an uncle whos a branch manager, u get in. if u have a friend in hr, u get in. if ur the type who can sell a fridge to an eskimo, u get in. but if u sat down and actually studied, worked hard, qualified yourself... ahh, ur just another resume in the pile.
theres managers out there with years of experience, huge client portfolios, earning well, who cant pass the certification even with prayers. and they dont need to. bc the cert isnt what keeps them employed. what keeps them is their client book and their ability to sell. technical knowledge is optional.
this deeply annoys me. were sold this dream that if u study, specialize, doors will open. lie. doors open for those already inside or those with a sales vibe.
theres people who dont know the difference between cdi and ipca, who dont know what duration means in fixed income, who dont understand basic risk vs return, and theyre out there managing millions for other people. and theres people who studied, understand, and cant even get an interview.
the recertification was already absurd
back in the cea days, anbima forced recertification every two years. u had to pay again, take courses again, exam again. for what? to keep a certification that didnt open any doors the first time?
it was like those subscription services u forget to cancel and keep paying month after month without using. except now anbima went further and created an annual update on top of everything. the recertification already hurt, but at least it was every two years. now its 325 reais every year just to keep ur name active.
and if u dont pay, it expires. and if it expires, even less chance of being noticed. but honestly, the difference in chance is from zero to zero point zero.
the annual update
and if u thought it ended at recertification or migration, theres more. anbima charges a mandatory annual update to keep the cert active. and it aint cheap, its 325 reais every year just to keep ur name in the system.
they say its to "ensure your certification is active and you can work in the financial market". funny. i paid, paid again, and never worked a single day in the formal financial market (¬_¬)
exam, materials, recertification, migration, annual update... add it all up and u realize u built a lifetime subscription to anbima without noticing. except instead of delivering content, they give u a pdf and an invoice.
so what is it even for
honestly? at least from what my experience tells me. the certification serves one main thing, for anbima to make money.
the client sees the cert name on the advisors profile and thinks theyre talking to a specialist. they might be talking to someone who memorized the exam and cant apply anything in real life. or worse, someone who barely passed and just wants to sell what pays the highest commission. i already wrote about this in my other article about conflict of interest.
and those who actually understand, who worked hard, who studied... stay outside. bc they dont have the sales vibe, dont have connections, dont have a fancy college name on their resume.
if ur thinking about taking the anbima certification thinking itll put u in the finance market, think again. study if u wanna learn, but dont spend money u dont have thinking its a passport. the passport is connections and commercial skills. everything else is just decoration.
ive been carrying this reflection for a while. writing here is the only way to vent without burning bridges, even if the bridges are already all closed for me (´｡• ᵕ •｡`)
if u went through something similar, know ur not alone. the system is just like this. and its not ur fault for believing in it~