AMA - Business Analyst to Quant

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Max.Fuller10 • 8d ago

Congratulations. I have a few questions: 1. How many maths/computer science related courses did you take in university? If not many, how you catch up on the maths after uni? 2. How frequent, as a rough estimate, do other business/economics students actually get hired in quant? For those who are hired, what qualities do those students have which make quant firms attracted to hiring them? 3. As an economics student myself, how would I be able to position myself to land a quant role? And did you use everythingquant for interview prep? Thanks!

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broke_quant • 8d ago

1. I took the first year courses in maths. calc and linalg I and II, discrete math, and mathematical probability. The rest of my degree was non-STEM, with the exception of relatively basic statistical analysis. 2. Low. But not as low as people think. I would say approx. 1 in 10 hires are from people without maths/cs/physics/etc degrees. Those who are hired that don't have such technical degrees are usually athletes, esports players, professional poker/chess players, or in any other....

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broke_quant • 8d ago

...profession/hobby that requires strategy, competition, and quick thinking (and even reflexes). These skills are super essential for traders and execution SWEs. 3. My honest advice is do as many STEM courses as possible. Keep your GPA up. Partake in competitive hobbies/professions. Meet traders and product managers. Prepare for interviews. And pretty much go above and beyond with everything you do. Passion goes along way man. Best of luck

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broke_quant • 7d ago

And yes I used everythingquant for interview prep, along with greenbook and openquant

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Max.Fuller10 • 8d ago

Makes sense... Do you think there's any chance of someone that hasn't taken first year math courses? And how come you need to be doing competitive stuff to become a quant? Is there a competitive aspect to the career?

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broke_quant • 7d ago

Ahh yeah I guess so. I know some econ/finance people that took very basic/no maths courses, however they make up for it with being able to learn very quick, being adaptable, and just in general being super intelligent and insightful. I see it that competition is at the heart of quant. It is a pressuring job - you need that competitive edge about you, especially as a trader, to perform consistently.

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JasonT • 8d ago

What did you do as a business analyst? How much overlap is there between your business analyst job and a quant? And what caused you to switch your career so drastically...?

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broke_quant • 7d ago

My job was relatively similar to strategy consultancy - identifying business challenges, finding solutions etc. There was very little overlap, except with some of the data analysis. My primary motivation for switching up careers was I didn't really feel any fulfilment/joy at my business analyst job. Didn't really fit in with the crowd. Work wasn't very stimulating. Quantitative finance was a gamble, but I really enjoyed the traineeship, and I see myself enjoying this line of work much more

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Anonymous User • 7d ago

I study economics/commerce at a target, 4.0 GPA, no STEM courses taken, internship at a boutique asset management firm, in my second year. Can I make the switch to quant finance now, or am I cooked

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Anonymous User • 5d ago

Just apply and see what happens.

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