PhD vs MFE for quant jobs

[guess]

hi all
i joined this community just yesterday and have learn a lot in just one day. must say this comm is quite informative. let me introduce myself first. i am ashwani. i have done my masters in physics from IIT-Delhi, India and currently pursuing PhD from NTU singapore. my field of research is more or less towards theoretical physics. as far as my reserach regarding quant finance goes, people from physics background also go for quant jobs. but what i want to ask is that will a physics phd guy will be as competent as an MFE. after all quant jobs are not just solving mathematical problem but also understsnding the business behind it. can somebody throw some light on this issue.

 

[alain]

usually experimental physicists make the transition without problem. I used to work with 2 of them that came from CERN.

 

[Uncle Max]

Business part is much easier to pick up than theoretical math. Read John Hull's book to begin with. It's more than enough to get started.

 

[guess]

hi maxrum
thanks for you reply...as i am in my second year of my phd ...i still have at least 2 more years to go...it will be very kind of you if you can suggest me ..how do i prepeare my self during next two years...i have started reading hull ..and few other books on financial maths...as far as programin skills are concerned...i am quite proficient with matlab ...but C++ is a bit rusted ...as i had done it in my undergrad...any suggestion on how to brush up my C++ ..also i will be very happy if u can say smthin about quant job oppurtunities in singapore...btw wat r u upto ..
thnz neway

 

[MidasCFA]

......r u upto ..thnz neway

Darn, the much dreaded for text message shorthands on this forum. As soon as you decide to use this kind of language, you're on your own.

Now expect lots of flame in regards to your foreignness/cultural inadaptability/social maladjustment/frivolity of post content.

lol.

 

[guess]

hi midasCFA
i am extremely sorry as i was not aware of such rules of the forum. i will be extra careful while posting my comments next time. thanks for your comments.
regards
ashwani

 

[Uncle Max]

how do i prepeare my self during next two years

Find a good recruiter (there are several on this forum) and ask them this question. Read Dominic's guide to have better understanding of the field. Also, if you complete CFA while doing your PhD it might be useful to prove that you are into finance.

P.S.: If you write to recruiters, don't forget to start your sentences from a capital letter. It might help to get some response from them