From tech to finance: My journey to passing the SIE on the first try

I'd been working in tech for four years, at a company that provided low-latency hardware and software solutions for electronic traders. The work was enjoyable enough, but at my core, I knew that something was missing. The tech was cool, but I found myself increasingly intrigued by the context in which it operated. "Finance stuff". And so, with next to no knowledge of "finance stuff" (well, I did know it's usually a good idea to buy low and sell high), I set out to take and pass the SIE. I wanted to expand my knowledge, potentially pivot to another industry, and, truthfully, prove to myself that I could do this.

Taking the leap without a traditional finance background

At the very beginning, I was a little discouraged. I was working well more than full-time, while folks talked about how they passed after a day or two of studying, while I stared down a mountain of material that was completely foreign to me. How would I even find the time? I told myself that even if I wasn't the smartest in the room or didn't have a "real" finance background, I would try my heart out and give it my best shot. So I started. Every day, reading the chapters on Achievable.

At first, I was taking detailed notes on everything I read, but I found myself falling behind. I didn't have much time after work, so I had to be efficient. Read, quiz, review, and read again; only taking notes on concepts I kept getting wrong. And slowly but surely, I began to build the foundation. Some weeks, I saw the chapters pile up as I couldn't keep up with my demanding work schedule. But I reset, and I kept going. An hour or two every weekday, and as much as my brain could handle on the weekends. At one point, I had to push the exam back a whole week due to work. I didn't even know if that would be enough, but I couldn't afford to push it back again. I had to do it.

Trusting the process

Exam day rolls around. By this point, I had a 96% readiness score. Solid mid 80s on my exams. I was incredibly nervous, asking myself all the what-ifs. What if every exam question is on a topic I'm weak on? What if I sleep through it? What if I run out of time? I walk into the testing center with my heart about to fly out of my chest, and my stomach somewhere down by my ankles. I sit down and start up; first question. I won't lie, I did get tripped up. I'd taken a million Achievable practice exams and got so used to the wording. I had a brief panic, but took a deep breath and wiped the sweat off my palms.

Don't let the test intimidate you; it'll use words and phrases that seem new, but fundamentally, if you know the material, you'll be able to make the connections and think, "Oh, wait a minute, I know what this is!" 45 minutes down, I was at the end with 25 questions marked for review. I went through each review question. I was left with 5 that I genuinely didn't know, likely experimental questions. Then I went through the whole test, beginning to end, and caught a couple that I had misread or misunderstood the first go-around. By the end, I had 15 minutes left. I hit submit, and that was probably the closest I've come to passing out in a public place. But the wave of relief comes over me as I see the words "Pass" on the screen. Just like that, I did it.

Don’t compare your journey with others

For me, it was really important that the actual core concepts of the SIE were explained in a way that I, a "layman," could understand; I definitely have Achievable to thank for that. I was also incredibly lucky to have family and friends cheering me on, who understood if I couldn't respond to texts or calls when I had my head in the books. One other piece of advice I'd like to give: don't get caught up in reading about success or failure stories (ironic, I know). Trust yourself, your knowledge, your work ethic, and your study program, and you'll make it out okay. I still don't know for sure what I'll do with my SIE, but it's a start! Good luck to all test takers out there!