Career Prospects (Silicon Valley VS Wall Street)

[William Y. Wells]

Hi QuantNet,

This is my first posting, I'm a newcomer and frankly, don't know much about quants. Ironically, I am pretty geared already towards becoming a quant and I'm looking forward to learning more and more through the internet and websites like this one.

A little bit about my background. I am a half Japanese, half American 27 y/o looking for work as a quant or in I.B. - I graduated from a pretty decent college in upstate New York, and graduated with a double major in mathematics and financial economics, with a minor in Chinese. So that technically makes me trilingual since I grew up in Tokyo for the majority of my life and I speak Japanese and English natively.

I'm here on quantnet because I've been on a sabbatical and now I'm back in the job market looking for work. I don't know if its standard to share linkedin profiles here, but my resume looks pretty good - I graduated top of my class, got distinctions, made Dean's list, received prizes, etc. I wasn't very active at school though, I didn't join any math olympics or anything like that, pretty standard college education.

I'm trying to learn a little bit more about the type of work I'll be cut out to do. I do want to work on the cutting edge of finance and quant-type work, and I think I have a proven track record. But to be honest, I have never been the Wall Street type of guy. I've always been more of a Silicon Valley type of person, and I'm curious to hear what peoples' thoughts are on work in those two different environments. Tokyo is very much like the California of Asia, and there's a start-up culture that is beginning to blossom here as well, but it's nothing like Silicon Valley.

I'm here to ask a few basic questions, like is it possible to find work in California which is not a major financial capital, working as a quant? I'm also curious how my language skills will play a role in beginning work as a quant... Do people that are multi-lingual excel at quant type environments? I only have a college degree, but I have been considering getting a Certificate in Quantitative Finance, or perhaps a CFA or MBA or MFE, something along those lines... But I feel like that would be similar to getting married to my job, and that I should have a little bit of experience before I go ahead and get a degree.

I've been struggling to find quant jobs in Japan, and this is making me look overseas especially in the bay area and California in general which I really enjoy. I'm also kind of open to other career opportunities, but it does seem like good quants get paid well, and I'm hoping to become one of them in order to support my family and other activities.

It's great to be here, thanks QuantNet for providing a perfect place for a stranger like me, I'm looking forward to hearing from the community and speaking with people here.

Cheers,

William Yuta

P.S. I have been sort of interested in Bitcoin, because it's a perfect blend between finance and tech... anyone have any thoughts on this as a quant?

 

[Yike Lu]

For specifically IBD work, check out http://www.mergersandinquisitions.com/

The Cliff notes of that is it's not quant. There are specialty quant jobs in these divisions, but traditional "investment banking" ain't it.

If you don't want to work at a bank, your options are basically hedge fund or prop trading firm. I work at a prop shop. There are also some quant boutiques and software firms. That said, it's not a bad idea to start your career at a bank. Also, quant at hedge fund or prop shop isn't to be seen as just a day job. There is a bit more cushion with a bank because the organization is larger.

I don't see that many quant jobs in California, but my network is mostly NY and Chicago.

 

[mhy]

Hi
I'm here to ask a few basic questions, like is it possible to find work in California which is not a major financial capital, working as a quant? I'm also curious how my language skills will play a role in beginning work as a quant... Do people that are multi-lingual excel at quant type environments? I only have a college degree, but I have been considering getting a Certificate in Quantitative Finance, or perhaps a CFA or MBA or MFE, something along those lines... But I feel like that would be similar to getting married to my job, and that I should have a little bit of experience before I go ahead and get a degree.

Yes, there are quite a few banks and investment firms in L.A. and SF. At least one of the quants I know at my firm works out of the SF office.

Language skills probably won't matter much unless you specifically get hired because of it (i.e. as a coordinator for multiple teams or for in a client-facing role catering to specific types of clients). English is used for the most part.

CFA won't help you find a quant job.

I've been struggling to find quant jobs in Japan, and this is making me look overseas especially in the bay area and California in general which I really enjoy.

This is a major issue for me as well as I am Japanese and am not sure what to do after finishing my MFE if I ever want to return home. I may end up working in NY for a lot longer than I initially planned...It seems like there are some positions in Japan but not nearly as much as NY/London. I know a few quants who work in Tokyo and seems like they are doing well. Maybe (hopefully!) there will be more demand in the future.

 

[William Y. Wells]

Thanks for the reply guys. Is it possible to post my linkedin profile here? I was wondering what skills I should pick up next, because there are not that many quant positions available in Japan.

I have some basis SAS skills and am interested in doing data analysis mainly. Perhaps being a quant analyst is best for me? Are there such positions available?

Language skills probably won't matter much unless you specifically get hired because of it (i.e. as a coordinator for multiple teams or for in a client-facing role catering to specific types of clients). English is used for the most part.

This is a major issue for me as well as I am Japanese and am not sure what to do after finishing my MFE if I ever want to return home. I may end up working in NY for a lot longer than I initially planned...It seems like there are some positions in Japan but not nearly as much as NY/London. I know a few quants who work in Tokyo and seems like they are doing well. Maybe (hopefully!) there will be more demand in the future.

What are some of your thoughts on using language skills in this environment? I actually enjoy doing data analysis more and am leaning more towards analyses than actual development of programs etc.