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Dear Quant Gurus !! SOS

Dhruv Sarma

Dhruv Sarma

Joined
12/9/13
Messages
6
Points
11
My profile : Chemical Engineering Graduate, from IIT (Indian Institute of Technology), decent GPA not too good though .
Currently doing MBA, cleared a few actuarial papers too. In B.TECH, I had courses on Real Analysis, ODE and PDE Calculus. Scientific Computing such as LU Decomposition, Runge Kutta and stuff in C++ ,also thermodynamics , fluid mechanics in regular course work .Though I have no heavy math degree, I am not bad at solving problems, e.g. in the same level as Putnam problems etc. for say.
I don't quite like the MBA program and this is almost B.S. in terms of teaching any career skill, specially in finance. So I gradually started following MFE courses through self-study. By now, I have, [1]. Finished Shreve vol i & ii ( solved each and every exercise on my own, i liked it too... ). [2]. Learnt all optimization algorithms and implemented in MATLAB from the book suggested by CMU CF program . [3]. Have implemented PDEs, numerous scientific algos in C++ . [4]. Done with Monte Carlo, each technique from P. Glasserman and U.Seydel books.
[5]. Have a good knowledge of C++ with STL library [6]. Good knowledge of Hull material. [7]. Good time series modelling experience( ARFIMA,GARCH etc) in project.
Because of my arrogance, for some reason I thought I could teach myself the same things as in MFE.!!! Why put money into it ? But without a formal degree in maths, if for say, I master the contents of MFE course , is it a way to convince people that I could do the job ! Or something more is needed ?

Wise guys. please suggest me what could be my chance in job market ?. In India, they look for candidates with knowledge in options pricing, PDE, MCs etc , though many of them are either in model validation or in some sort of risk management(Var, stress testing etc). Possible in India ?

WELL WHAT THE HELL,I SHOULD DO NOW ?. MBA friends know no-shit and ARE GETTING HANDSOMELY PAID OFFERS !!! DO SUGGEST WHAT I SHOULD DO AFTER I GET MY MBA ? QUIT THIS PLAN ?
 
Dhruv Sarma said:
...WELL WHAT THE HELL,I SHOULD DO NOW ?. MBA friends know no-shit and ARE GETTING HANDSOMELY PAID OFFERS !!! DO SUGGEST WHAT I SHOULD DO AFTER I GET MY MBA ? ...
Click to expand...

do whatever your friends are doing. Since you are going to know more than them (your own words), you would probably get higher paid offers.
 
alain said:
do whatever your friends are doing. Since you are going to know more than them (your own words), you would probably get higher paid offers.
Click to expand...
Classy response, not of all of us could refrain from snapping at this clown :rolleyes:
 
You wanna be a quant? Then you have to be prepared to work for someone with half your IQ, and double your salary. Besides that, I wonder why with your self-proclaimed intelligence you are not getting handsomely paid offers yourself? Perhaps it's because of your attitude towards this whole thing no? Anyone who walks around with the attitude that they are better than everyone else is sure to get flak. Nobody likes a show-off. And in the quant world, there is always someone better than you. Reminds me of the below post.

https://www.quantnet.com/threads/high-iq-problem.15384/
 
I have an honest question. How do people who claim to be this research oriented and capable not know how to direct their lives? If you supposedly were so capable of completing a self prepared MFE program why not learn how to be your own career services department?

The logic is clearly lacking somewhere.
 
JesseLevermore said:
I have an honest question. How do people who claim to be this research oriented and capable not know how to direct their lives? If you supposedly were so capable of completing a self prepared MFE program why not learn how to be your own career services department?

The logic is clearly lacking somewhere.
Click to expand...


I agree, maybe I will do an MFE after good industry exposure. That's why I just had a query if it's possible to land a job somewhere near that field with some quant-fin oriented knowledge( comparing with MFE materials gives you just an idea where you stand). In no way,I expect to deserve the very same job as the MFE grad. I know what it would like to be trained by guys like Shreve, Derman in an MFE program. My naive goal is to be somewhere around that discipline in an industry so that I might be later considered based on practical experience when I do apply to one of these programs.

I JUST WANTED TO KNOW IF IT'S ALL FUTILE TO THINK SO.........THANKS
 
Take it easy with the caps lock.
 
Looks like the market is really bad in USA. No body seems to share even any minute experience.
 
Ken Abbott said:
What does that mean?
Click to expand...

Dear Mr. Abbott, in some job advice I read that it is also possible to have a job with BS degree in engineering backed by fin. maths knowledge and c++. Though they are termed as' baby lites' and might be preferred because they are cheaper than MFEs. What is veracity of that claim ?

Regarding "Don't act too Americanized. !" sentence, it came out because it was mocking answer to my naive and immature question. No intent to offend anyone,plz.
 
Dhruv Sarma said:
Well Patel ji, I was just seeking advice from the experienced. Regarding "caps lock", it was just an Indian thing that popped out. Don't act too Americanized. !
Click to expand...

I'm going to echo Ken's question - what exactly does "too Americanized" mean?

Also, I don't like stating the obvious, but in this case, I'll oblige. You should probably refrain from making making statements like that. If you end up working in quant finance, chances are your environment will be fairly heterogeneous. And suffice to say, referring to colleagues as "too Americanized" or whatever the case may be, is not going to get you very far.
 
So you started MBA program without knowing what you were getting into ? What makes you think that you are not doing the same with MFE ? Just liking solving a couple of books from MFE program doesn't mean that you will love your real quant life. At one point you seem to be distraught about MBAs getting higher paid salary. We all here love money but I think most of us looked for good experience for our first couple of internships/jobs.

IMO, a bit of soul searching is required on your part. And humility is the first thing you should look for.
 
Dhruv Sarma said:
My profile : Chemical Engineering Graduate, from IIT (Indian Institute of Technology), decent GPA not too good though .
Currently doing MBA, cleared a few actuarial papers too. In B.TECH, I had courses on Real Analysis, ODE and PDE Calculus. Scientific Computing such as LU Decomposition, Runge Kutta and stuff in C++ ,also thermodynamics , fluid mechanics in regular course work .Though I have no heavy math degree, I am not bad at solving problems, e.g. in the same level as Putnam problems etc. for say.
I don't quite like the MBA program and this is almost B.S. in terms of teaching any career skill, specially in finance. So I gradually started following MFE courses through self-study. By now, I have, [1]. Finished Shreve vol i & ii ( solved each and every exercise on my own, i liked it too... ). [2]. Learnt all optimization algorithms and implemented in MATLAB from the book suggested by CMU CF program . [3]. Have implemented PDEs, numerous scientific algos in C++ . [4]. Done with Monte Carlo, each technique from P. Glasserman and U.Seydel books.
[5]. Have a good knowledge of C++ with STL library [6]. Good knowledge of Hull material. [7]. Good time series modelling experience( ARFIMA,GARCH etc) in project.
Because of my arrogance, for some reason I thought I could teach myself the same things as in MFE.!!! Why put money into it ? But without a formal degree in maths, if for say, I master the contents of MFE course , is it a way to convince people that I could do the job ! Or something more is needed ?

Wise guys. please suggest me what could be my chance in job market ?. In India, they look for candidates with knowledge in options pricing, PDE, MCs etc , though many of them are either in model validation or in some sort of risk management(Var, stress testing etc). Possible in India ?

WELL WHAT THE HELL,I SHOULD DO NOW ?. MBA friends know no-shit and ARE GETTING HANDSOMELY PAID OFFERS !!! DO SUGGEST WHAT I SHOULD DO AFTER I GET MY MBA ? QUIT THIS PLAN ?
Click to expand...


how much you can contribute to your employer is not by how much u know, nor what degree qualifications you possess. Apply what you've learnt, create a project or trade in your account, perform an analysis or write a trading program with proven results. show them how you can use monte carlo or GARCH to simulate price movements, PDE & SDE to identity arbitrage, and lattice pricing to price options. Plain talk is useless; your work is a proven testament of your capabilities.
 
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