Advice on career switching at mid 30s: Request reasons before voting in poll

[appu]

Hi all,

Request professionals on this forum for advice on career choice I need to make.

Background:

1. I am in India.
2. I am 33 years old.
3. Engineering degree in Computer Science (top 20 college)
4. Business Management degree (top 10 college)
5. 7 years work experience in finance in credit analysis specifically in Credit Rating (fundamental analysis: non-quantitative).
6. Above average in Math and Programming, but not a genius

What I want to do: Get a masters/PhD abroad and get employed in US/ UK/ Europe

Important things to me:

1. Cannot afford to pay for my higher studies - will need aid or scholarship, prefer not to take a huge loan, also I do not have a co-signer abroad
2. Good chances in getting a job
2. Decent work life balance in the job
3. Decent salary hopefully 80-90K USD or more
4. Personal preference to get back to a job involving programming

Options I am considering are (my perceptions - please correct if wrong):

1. MBA abroad - will be costly with tough competition for top schools and rare scholarships - useless if not done at a top school - job will most likely not involve good work life balance . Salary and stress may be more

2. MS in Computer Science - easier to get admits with scholarships or aid, may also be possible in a good school. Should be easier to get a job and with good work life balance. Salary and stress may be less.

3. MFE abroad - will be costly with tough competition for top schools and rare scholarships - useless if not done at top school - job will most likely not involve good work life balance. Salary and stress maybe more.

4. PhD in quantitative finance - tough to get good colleges, will mean spending 4-5 years - will mean a quant job which will probably throw work-life balance out the window. Salary and stress may be more.

Advice from professionals in the field, the pros and cons, earnestly requested.

Thanks,

 

[appu]

Bumping up hoping for some replies. Experienced professionals please share your opinions.

Also want to state that my preference to switch to programming is because I am much better at coding and mathematics than with analytical work.

 

[tfors]

Not an experienced professional, but I think you answered your own question in the OP

 

[appu]

Thanks for your reply.

My perception is that MBAs need to be analytically strong, MS CS does not require it so much, it is more about programming, logic.

Quants (MFE, PhD) I am not very clear about analytical skill requirements. But the entry requires GRE and Analytical section has been removed in the new GRE format, so I am guessing it is not needed to be very strong there.

Since I have not been in a quant role as such I was hoping someone could tell me if my perceptions on the roles above are correct.