Recently at my new job an opening has come up for a financial analyst position. I have a degree in International Relations with focus on finance and History, double major back in 2010. The position calls for a degree in economics, finance, math, engineering. I spoke to the manager and he said it's heavily quantitative. The field has been of some interest to me in the past. I had mentioned on another topic regarding applying which I feel I will do.
My outlook for being accepted into the position I believe is low. I am therefore looking at ways that I might myself a better candidate in the future. There were a few options I thought of. One is to get an MBA in finance from the local state university (CSUN) which has a regional reputation but not national costing $20-$30K and 2-3 years. Obtain a business analyst or finance certificate from the UCLA extension courses taking 1-2 years costing $5-$10K.
Finally I could take some additional coursework at my community college to complete my AA in accounting (about 1 year $1K-$2K) which I have been taking courses the last few years for a CPA but I've been having second thoughts about a career in accounting but an AA might be something to show for my efforts and at least add to the case for me being an analyst, maybe. Not sure.
Work could probably cover anywhere from 1/2 to 3/4 the price of the MBA or certificate and all the cost of the AA.
Since I have a good chance at covering a large portion of the more expensive options I'm not just concerned at the best quality education because it would also take the greatest time and commitment. I think the MBA is a bit overkill for the position but then again a recent hire in that role had a masters in economics but he is a pretty fresh graduate. The manager still described it as entry level analyst. I do have about 10 years in the financial services sector which should count for something.
I just wanted to get some opinions about these educational options and what I should consider in applying them to my interest in this role?