- Joined
- 5/2/06
- Messages
- 11,770
- Points
- 273
By Charles Fernandez
If math was your strong suit in high school and college, you might consider giving a career as a financial engineer a try. Leading brokerage houses such as Merrill Lynch are increasingly interested in hiring financial engineers to help guide their businesses. In fact, Merrill Lynch provided a grant to MIT to launch a financial engineering program.
Nowadays, a certificate in financial engineering is considered to be an express route to Wall Street and to the job security and financial rewards that it represents. Mathematical modeling is a hot property in the investment industry—and financial engineers can provide it.
An advanced degree is absolutely critical to obtaining a position as a financial engineer. Preferably, you should have a graduate degree from a highly reputable institution known for its advanced math and financial management programs. While there is some glamour associated with the term financial engineer, the work of such an engineer basically involves repackaging financial products. As a result, you not only have to have a mind for math, but you must also have solid judgment, since you will be handling other people’s money.
In addition, you must be highly ethical in order to succeed as a financial engineer. You must demonstrate that you are honest and trustworthy and that you will not divulge sensitive information to the public. Likewise, you must have a good understanding of the law as it relates to financial dealings.
Interestingly enough, experts in the field say the best financial engineers are actually self-taught. That’s because the work requires stellar problem-solving ability—something a graduate course cannot necessarily teach you. Once you master the work, though, you may be astounded at the financial benefits you will receive, since such jobs typically pay more than $100,000.
L. Charles Fernandez is the creator of the Six Figure Jobs Blog, a guide to finding six figure jobs in unlikely fields
If math was your strong suit in high school and college, you might consider giving a career as a financial engineer a try. Leading brokerage houses such as Merrill Lynch are increasingly interested in hiring financial engineers to help guide their businesses. In fact, Merrill Lynch provided a grant to MIT to launch a financial engineering program.
Nowadays, a certificate in financial engineering is considered to be an express route to Wall Street and to the job security and financial rewards that it represents. Mathematical modeling is a hot property in the investment industry—and financial engineers can provide it.
An advanced degree is absolutely critical to obtaining a position as a financial engineer. Preferably, you should have a graduate degree from a highly reputable institution known for its advanced math and financial management programs. While there is some glamour associated with the term financial engineer, the work of such an engineer basically involves repackaging financial products. As a result, you not only have to have a mind for math, but you must also have solid judgment, since you will be handling other people’s money.
In addition, you must be highly ethical in order to succeed as a financial engineer. You must demonstrate that you are honest and trustworthy and that you will not divulge sensitive information to the public. Likewise, you must have a good understanding of the law as it relates to financial dealings.
Interestingly enough, experts in the field say the best financial engineers are actually self-taught. That’s because the work requires stellar problem-solving ability—something a graduate course cannot necessarily teach you. Once you master the work, though, you may be astounded at the financial benefits you will receive, since such jobs typically pay more than $100,000.
L. Charles Fernandez is the creator of the Six Figure Jobs Blog, a guide to finding six figure jobs in unlikely fields