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Advice for an HS student

mikesown

Joined
4/21/08
Messages
1
Points
11
I'm an HS student now. I know it's a bit early to be thinking about a career already, but I wanted to get a general idea of what being a quant requires in terms of credentials, and what the job entails. To give you some background about myself: I'm first and foremost passionate about CompSci, specifically machine learning. I see finance as a perfect companion to my interests because it will let me earn money while doing what I love, applying CS/ML(albeit doing a lot of work).

I'm definitely getting a BS, and most probably an MS, in CompSci. Do most quant jobs require a degree in financial engineering, or can I slip by with degrees solely in CS/ML? Must I get a PhD to be considered for a serious quant job?

I was also wondering what internships were possible and if these required any experience? Will these teach me the basic ropes of finance(assuming I come in with no knowledge of finance, but a lot of knowledge about ML)? How early can I start getting these internships?

Right now, I'm reading "Options, Futures and Other Derivatives," which I've heard deemed as the "bible" of finance. Do you guys have any other reading suggestions to teach me the basic ropes of finance/quant jobs?

Thanks in advance!
 
Hull's book is more the "Good News Bible", the sort read by Creationists, rather than the King James variant.
Quant jobs lean towards maths grads rather than CS, and be aware that many CS courses are extremely dumbed down. A simplistic test is whether C++ gets taught as part of the O/S internals course. No C++ is bad, no O/S internals course means it's for arts graduates who can't draw.
 
i have a question as well, would i have more success in admission and overall performance with a mathematics bs or mathematical science bs?
at my university the mathematical science bs is a mix between applied math and CS.

the pure math curr. is common as most universities

but here is the upper division mathematical science curr.
what should i do? i would appreciate your help.

Intermediate Programming(3 credits)
Assembly Language Programming (3 credits)
Discrete Mathematics (3 credits)
Numerical Analysis (3 credits)
Introduction to the Theory of Algorithms (3 credits)
Advanced Differential Equations (3 credits)
Statistical Methods I (3 credits)
Statistical Methods II (3 credits)
+
Data Structures(3 credits)
Mathematical Modeling (3 credits)
Mathematical Techniques of Operations Research I* (3 credits)

which would be better, a pure math bs or this route? (with this route i would finish off 3 or more CS classes to complete a minor as well)

thanks, i also was worry that this might be looked down upon because its not a pure math major and some people might think of it as a easy route.

what do you think
 
Fredcheck, that is a very good curriculum to put on top of CS skills.

Whether it beats Pure Maths is quite tricky.
Objectively it is more useful, but as a headhunter I have to share with you that the label on your degree can matter a lot in getting an interview.

There is a significant and growing feeling against CompSci degrees.

If it is called "Mathematical Sciences", then I'd pick that, but manage to lose any label that says it is CS. If it's got computing in the title, then I'd be leaning towards doing pure maths, and choosing a couple of programming options.
 
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