Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst from CAIA Association???

I am considering in pursuing a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst certification with CAIA Association www.caia.org but am wondering how well does this certification being received in the Public or Private sectors in US or worldwide since CAIA only launched its certification in 1999 compared to CFA?

 

Having worked in the IT industry, where certification used to be king, and still may hold some validity for the higher level exams, I used the following real world test: Go to the major job search engines and type in the name of the Cert (and those of its competitors) and see how much they come up in searches. That way you can compare demand, and salaries.

Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Indeed Job Board Search

Chartered Financial Analysis Indeed Job Board Search

Two quick searches that I did for both certifications:

CAIA = 4 jobs.
CFA = Well over 100.

As someone who has a couple of worthless degrees (as far as earning money is concerned) trust me when I say that if you are considering some form of education that you hope will make you money, do not take the easy way out.

Get your CFA.

Cue the elitist people on the board who will tell you that education is to advance your knowledge and that judging somethings worth on how much you earn in salary is a bad thing - in...3...2...1...

I like some real world information thrown in for good measure, but then again I am a pessimist and I like to quote "See the world as it is, not as you want it to be".

Good luck

Cory