Help! Career choice

[AlbertHo]

Hi,

I've just graduated from Actuarial Science and Finance program in Australia and currently work as an actuarial trainee in Hong Kong. But I'm more interested in a career in finance (Investment management, Hedge fund, etc.) rather than insurance. In particular, I want to work in Quantitative research, investment or risk management since I enjoy statistical and financial modeling.

However, it's really hard to break in with my background and skills. I can code in Matlab and R and have basic knowledge in C++ and VBA. But there is no way that I can compete with those math/physics Phds.

I've considered a few MFE programs. But those programs are really expensive and there's no guarantee that I can secure a quant job after graduation.

So I decided to study on my own (purchased a few books suggested on this forum and keep practicing C++). But I'm afraid it will take forever for me to finish reading since I work full time currently. And I'm unsure if future potential employers would acknowledge the time and effort that I put in?

Could anyone provide some suggestions regarding how I can reach my goal?

I'm planning to cold email some hedge fund managers and ask for an internship opportunity. Will it be a good choice?

What kind of jobs are more suitable for me if my long-term goal is to work as an quant analyst or portfolio manager?

 

[IlyaKEightSix]

Here's a suggestion that's straight to the point.

You know R? Fantastic. Now what you're going to do is google up the Quantstrat package, and write your own strategies using end of day data. If you want to be a quant and create automated trading strategies, then do it, because that's the package that will allow you to do just that.

 

[latency]

if you are interested in trading roles, there are firms hiring out there, the usual Dutch suspects, their offshoots and American firms trying to get in.

 

[AlbertHo]

Thank you for your suggestion, Aspiring Quant.

What's the minimum math/stat background required to create reasonably good trading strategies? Do you suggest me to send my trading models to Hedge funds/trading firms in order to impress them? Will this method work?