Will Barlow wears No. 42 for the Columbus Cottonmouths. When the Snakes defenseman’s playing days are over, he will embark on a career dealing with numbers much larger and far more complicated.
The Oakville, Ontario, native is busy studying for the Chartered Financial Analyst Exam. He earned a bachelor’s degree in finance, and this rigorous course of study is a long process.
“You have to pass three levels over three years,” Barlow said. “You take three self-study exams and study for six months each time. There are seven textbooks for this one. I spend a lot of time in the library studying.”
Varied career opportunities await Barlow upon completion of the graduate degree, including banking, investing and accounting. Right now, Barlow is concentrating on preparation for the first test.
“There are no guarantees,” Barlow said. “Right now, I feel I’m on track and right where I need to be. The second test is more difficult than the first, and I’ve heard that the third one is a little easier than the second. Each exam takes six hours.”
When he earns this certification, Barlow has a general goal.
“I want to be managing money in some way,” he said. “It might be as an investment advisor or mutual fund or hedge fund manager.”
Barlow is learning the financial ropes with the Jordan Company.
“They have a long history of helping students,” he said. “I’ve been working there since January with Vad Yazvinski. He was looking for office help and knew I was interested. I get in once a week, sometimes twice.”
Studying also consumes a lot of Barlow’s time.
“There is an online course to prepare, but, right now, I’m doing it mostly on my own,” he said. “I’ll see how the exam goes in June. You probably need to study about 15 hours a week, but because of our schedule I get less than that. I probably study about 10 hours a week.”
Barlow will remain in Columbus for a while after the season ends before returning home and taking the exam in June.
“I’ve worked for an investment adviser in Toronto the last three offseasons. I’ve sent out resumes to try to broaden the scope of my experience but have had no luck so far. I could end up back at the same firm,” Barlow said.
While Barlow keeps one eye on his future plans, there is still a bit of unfinished business with the Snakes.
“I’d love to win a championship,” he said. “Our under-performance this year has been tough. I want to be successful in whatever I do, so this season has been disappointing. We can beat any team in the league, but it takes a lot more than just saying that. A lot of players on our team do a lot of talking. They talk the talk but don’t walk the walk. If that doesn’t change, the results won’t change. We need a new level of commitment.”
Barlow’s solution is that the players look to coach Jerome Bechard as their role model.
“If the players had as much passion for the game and the work ethic that he does, we’d be the first-place team in the league,” Barlow said.
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