Hi everyone,
I really need advice on my career path, as I have no one around me to ask who understands the quant world.
Background
I come from a third-world country where universities are not ranked internationally. But we have strong math training, and from a young age, I was passionate about applying mathematics to finance.
During engineering school, I did a summer internship at a local startup as a quant and loved it.
In my senior year, I managed to become an undergraduate visiting research student at a top US university. The professor was impressed by how strong our math foundation was—he had admitted a friend of mine (let’s call him X) as a PhD student the year before.
The professor was happy with my work but couldn’t get me admitted due to changes in the doctoral school staff.
Career so far
After engineering, I worked for a few months as a quant developer in my home country.
I then pursued a quantitative finance master’s in Paris. It was a good program, but I felt the market was limited compared to the US/Asia.
I secured a Front Office quant position in Singapore, but after months of preparing, I had to give it up because of visa issues. That was devastating.
Meanwhile, my friend X is now in the US, finishing his PhD and already interviewing with top hedge funds and banks.
The Dilemma
I’m struggling even to get interviews for top-tier quant roles, while I feel I have the mathematical background. I’m 28 now and seriously considering doing a PhD in the US in Machine Learning/Statistics to:
Increase my chances of breaking into top quant firms.
Get exposure to cutting-edge AI research.
But my main concern:
I’d be around 33 when I finish a 5-year PhD. Is it too late for a quant career? Is it really worth it ?
Any advice would be hugely appreciated—should I take the PhD route, or is there a better way to position myself for high-end quant roles?
Thanks a lot in advance!
I really need advice on my career path, as I have no one around me to ask who understands the quant world.
Background
I come from a third-world country where universities are not ranked internationally. But we have strong math training, and from a young age, I was passionate about applying mathematics to finance.
During engineering school, I did a summer internship at a local startup as a quant and loved it.
In my senior year, I managed to become an undergraduate visiting research student at a top US university. The professor was impressed by how strong our math foundation was—he had admitted a friend of mine (let’s call him X) as a PhD student the year before.
The professor was happy with my work but couldn’t get me admitted due to changes in the doctoral school staff.
Career so far
After engineering, I worked for a few months as a quant developer in my home country.
I then pursued a quantitative finance master’s in Paris. It was a good program, but I felt the market was limited compared to the US/Asia.
I secured a Front Office quant position in Singapore, but after months of preparing, I had to give it up because of visa issues. That was devastating.
Meanwhile, my friend X is now in the US, finishing his PhD and already interviewing with top hedge funds and banks.
The Dilemma
I’m struggling even to get interviews for top-tier quant roles, while I feel I have the mathematical background. I’m 28 now and seriously considering doing a PhD in the US in Machine Learning/Statistics to:
Increase my chances of breaking into top quant firms.
Get exposure to cutting-edge AI research.
But my main concern:
I’d be around 33 when I finish a 5-year PhD. Is it too late for a quant career? Is it really worth it ?
Any advice would be hugely appreciated—should I take the PhD route, or is there a better way to position myself for high-end quant roles?
Thanks a lot in advance!
