Hi guys,
I need some advice regarding my future educational choices.
Here is my situation:
Currently, I am a European undergrad student in an interdisciplinary field of economics and engineering. The program offers great courses in math, statistics, economics, financial analysis, econometrics, Java programming, operations research etc... I have a decent academic record and I'm fluent in five languages.
After finishing this undergrad degree, I have decided to persue a graduate degree and I'm seriously considering a quant career. This because of several reasons: 1) sheer interest, 2) the will to live in New York or London, 3) The money (no I'm not going to give an inspiring speech on how money is not important, because let's be honest, it is. This should be number 1 in my list instead of 3 :p).
That being said, there are still some issues troubling me:
1) Which European universities offer decent graduate education in Financial Engineering (or similar)?
2) Are the grad. degrees at top tier US universities in any way better than their European counterparts?
That's all about the educational part, now here are some basic questions concerning a quant's life/career:
1) Can a graduate easily find a decent job during the current economic turbulence?
2) What is a quant's starting net salary like (including bonuses etc) ? and after 2yrs and 5yrs experience? (I know this is a tricky question, but at least give me a direction or estimate.)
3) Is it true that quants tend to work 10-12 hours a day (or even more)?
4) Once a quant, is there a realistic possibility to advance to the higher managment level of a financial institution?
Thanks in advance and my apology for the long post.
I need some advice regarding my future educational choices.
Here is my situation:
Currently, I am a European undergrad student in an interdisciplinary field of economics and engineering. The program offers great courses in math, statistics, economics, financial analysis, econometrics, Java programming, operations research etc... I have a decent academic record and I'm fluent in five languages.
After finishing this undergrad degree, I have decided to persue a graduate degree and I'm seriously considering a quant career. This because of several reasons: 1) sheer interest, 2) the will to live in New York or London, 3) The money (no I'm not going to give an inspiring speech on how money is not important, because let's be honest, it is. This should be number 1 in my list instead of 3 :p).
That being said, there are still some issues troubling me:
1) Which European universities offer decent graduate education in Financial Engineering (or similar)?
2) Are the grad. degrees at top tier US universities in any way better than their European counterparts?
That's all about the educational part, now here are some basic questions concerning a quant's life/career:
1) Can a graduate easily find a decent job during the current economic turbulence?
2) What is a quant's starting net salary like (including bonuses etc) ? and after 2yrs and 5yrs experience? (I know this is a tricky question, but at least give me a direction or estimate.)
3) Is it true that quants tend to work 10-12 hours a day (or even more)?
4) Once a quant, is there a realistic possibility to advance to the higher managment level of a financial institution?
Thanks in advance and my apology for the long post.
