Responding to ABC and NSELECTRICAL:
I haven't given out very specific information here because I do want to stay anonymous - I don't want anyone in the market knowing I'm posting stuff up here. But here's my general background:
I am American, went to a very good but non-target (in NYC, anyway) undergrad and majored in math. I then did a masters degree at a top name target university (think ivy league or equivalent), in as I described earlier as a quantitative field linked to finance. In that degree I studied both applied mathematical material, like stochastic stuffs and programming (simulation and applied stuff like that), as well as finance courses - but in the derivatives / capital markets realm specifically. That's as specific as I'd like to be here. In between academics I did internships at a hedge fund and at a bank in risk management. By the time I was looking for a full time job, hedge funds simply were not hiring (not that that was necessarily what I wanted to do, it just was not an option, and certainly not a the hedge fund at which I had spent time since the division I was working in was shut down) and I knew I did not want to accept the offer to join the bank in risk management full time (because I didn't like risk management, though the people were very nice), so I continued to look for jobs elsewhere. Another bank was hiring at my grad school for a junior trading job. I knew next to nothing about what they actually did, but I interviewed (of course several rounds), got the offer, they made it sound cool and exciting, and so I accepted. And I've been there since and it's actually been pretty cool and exciting, so I guess they've lived up to their promise. It has its ups and downs though. Anyway, hope this response helped!
