Quant Trading

Apr 3, 2019 12 Comments

I've been think about getting into quant trading, but heard that the vast majority of quant traders have phds. If there are any quant traders out there I was hoping to hear about your experiences! Has anyone started out as a software engineer before going back to school? If you did get a phd, would you say it's better to get a phd in computer science or applied mathematics? Also, what's the work-life balance like? Is the field cut-throat? All info and suggestions welcomed :P

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TOP 12 Comments
  • Google
    tsukino

    Go to company page Google

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    tsukino
    please don't get a PhD for sake of "quant" trading - unless you absolutely love being a researcher at a quant hedge fund (and how would you know that?)
    Apr 3, 2019 0
  • Bloomberg / Eng
    Fork()

    Go to company page Bloomberg Eng

    PRE
    Amazon
    Fork()
    1. Applied maths
    2. You only hear about the winners. Loser are liquidated within days and lose their jobs, possibly becoming pariahs in the process. Very few can sustain this for years.
    Apr 3, 2019 0
  • You dont need a PhD. What you need is some edge/skill to convince them to hire you. PhDs make it easier to signal to hiring mgrs that your quant skills are intact, but I've seen plenty of cases of rejection, and also getting a PhD is a huge opportunity cost.
    Apr 3, 2019 2
    • Google
      tsukino

      Go to company page Google

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      tsukino
      also PhD is used by hedge funds to brand themselves as "smarts-heavy"; expecting to apply extremal combinatorics on actual quant job is plain naivety of people who haven't worked in the industry
      Apr 3, 2019
    • I don’t this’s Hedge Funds go just for PhD. You need a proven track record of success to be at top tier Hedge Fund. Aggressive HFs are not newbie friendly.
      Apr 3, 2019
  • Nvidia
    bdei51

    Go to company page Nvidia

    bdei51
    If you have a medal in IMO it helps without PhD
    Apr 3, 2019 1
  • Bloomberg / Eng
    iVX372

    Go to company page Bloomberg Eng

    iVX372
    I've met a couple quant researchers who don't have PhD's. Alternative strategies include getting an MS in statistics, or financial engineering.
    Apr 3, 2019 0