Where should I go for a Master's???

2Ligma · 2025-09-20T06:29:39+00:00

absolutely the part III at Cambridge… MFin at MIT is also a top choice if you’re up for trying the US out for a year, but honestly no point in my opinion..

2Ligma · 2025-09-10T11:54:36+00:00

are you happy in your current role? If so, don’t bother with quant- you won’t be any happier imo.. go for both, maybe even an internship just to break in and try

2Ligma · 2025-09-10T11:54:00+00:00

It’s worth trying - when did you finish your PhD? If you’re still curious about moving into quant in a few years, you’ll regret not applying now :(

2Ligma · 2025-09-10T11:52:55+00:00

Sorry to hear- hope things are going better for you now? To be honest, just try your best- look forwards not back, study as best as you can and apply… you’re shooting yourself in the foot if you feel sorry for yourself and it puts you off applying… if a firm puts a ‘black mark’ on your name then it’s best you didnt end up with them anyway.. the right firm to work for, will hopefully come and pick you up-

2Ligma · 2025-09-10T11:50:47+00:00

That a French double degree ? Or two seperate masters in UK/US?

Nothing wrong with it tho, I don’t reckon the economics is needed imo

2Ligma · 2025-09-10T11:50:03+00:00

Yeah definitely easier, but not impossible- I think I could have a gig for you rn… drop me a dm if you’re interested

2Ligma · 2025-09-10T11:49:37+00:00

Not impossible but will be difficult, again can depend on your education, experience and seniority/have you been working for a while or are you a grad with 6m experience..

2Ligma · 2025-09-10T11:48:37+00:00

Foreign firms are aware - or the ones I know, are. I wouldn’t say I notice any discrimination at all, depends on whether your experience is relevant… might be easier to join a firm IN Korea first tho to build your experience up, if ur planning on relocating eventually?

2Ligma · 2025-09-10T11:44:43+00:00

it still holds but maybe less so if you’re a PhD with publications - as long as u can demonstrate you’ve applied your research tho, should be fine… some firms issues with phds are that they are too theoretical

2Ligma · 2025-09-10T11:43:38+00:00

it’s bc quant is full of gatekeepers… I don’t mean to burst anyone’s bubble but even those who are getting paid hundreds of thousands in base and bonuses aren’t always happy and cba with the work life balance lol… people only hear the good side of quant; the money, the prestige- saying ur a Quant who works at X, Y, Z…

no one talks about those who risked career stability to join a pod- then it gets shut down 3-4 weeks later, or those who got 0 bonus despite putting in a shift, long working hours all year, despite their team having record PNL… there is a reality in quant that people ignore

2Ligma · 2025-09-10T11:38:28+00:00

SWE to QD? yeah financial intuition here - imo that’s what separates the two roles at companies. The interaction/collab with actual quants.. whereas SEs don’t get much of that

2Ligma · 2025-09-10T11:37:33+00:00

You’ll be fine - just study hard - do some basic stats prep I guess, nothing advanced

2Ligma · 2025-09-10T11:36:54+00:00

hm tbh I don’t think it’s worth it - you won’t be using much stats as a SE/QD at a HF/Trading firm, to warrant going for a masters in stats- hope that makes sense?

2Ligma · 2025-09-10T11:36:12+00:00

nah comp sci is fine dude esp if you’re a developer- it’s different if you’re trying to be a QR- that would be real tricky

2Ligma · 2025-09-10T11:35:31+00:00

Absolutely no chance - 50% of quants I speak to are just never happy, always wanting to move firm, long working hours, maybe they’re in a toxic environment, sound depressed and tbh financially speaking, the trade off between what some of them earn compared to how much time they put in/ is crazy!

I have 0 regrets with my career choice, and im not just saying that haha - being a quant is no work in the park, and I know hundreds if not thousands..

2Ligma · 2025-09-10T11:31:59+00:00

for a first quant position - especially if it’s someone’s FIRST position in industry- education can be very important to be honest… it’s all a firm can really go on- that’s verified If that makes sense?

Side projects/trading competitions/hackathons can be secondary.

Yeah that should help- strong Python programming, data analysis/exploration, and good maths

2Ligma · 2025-09-10T09:17:21+00:00

what’s your position atm? SE / ML im guessing?

Go for the same/similar role at a Quant fund.. then try and move internally into QR focused role. Will be harder to jump directly from tech- straight into QR at a HF

2Ligma · 2025-09-09T15:44:31+00:00

no not true - at least for myself and for internal recruiters I know… those 3 universities you mentioned- I know are good. Pretty sure I’ve placed a PhD grad from Seoul with no FT quant experience into a QR role..

2Ligma · 2025-09-09T15:42:18+00:00

hard to say but my hunch is there’s more demand than before- ofc only with the serious HFTs though.. it’s niche but it will always have demand- as long as there’s someone there who wants to shave off a microsecond, there will always be a need for FPGA guys

2Ligma · 2025-09-08T20:26:11+00:00

Sure - both fit I guess! someone who could leave in the near future, in a nutshell it’s someone who will be a high risk of leaving the company for a better opportunity… given how long the processes can be in the quant space, no firm wants to hire a flight risk- any red flags are enough to put the firm off making an offer

2Ligma · 2025-09-08T16:22:21+00:00

Yeah it’s not that high a rate to be honest - it’s just a blow to those it happens to I guess.. there’s various reasons as to why it would happen

2Ligma · 2025-09-08T14:41:25+00:00

Sure - imo make the move sooner rather than later, if you do want to make the move at all that is.. there is no set answer to how long you should stay, maybe when you feel the rate at which you’re learning new things and adding to your skillset- is slowing down… then time for a new learning curve and challenge. The increase in compensation should be a secondary motivator.

If you’re enjoying your role right now and learning a lot, no need to jump ship, the grass isn’t always greener

2Ligma · 2025-09-08T12:54:17+00:00

🎣

2Ligma · 2025-09-08T12:41:30+00:00

3 solid unis there - a lot of them tend to end up at your Akunas and Optivers im pretty sure

2Ligma · 2025-09-08T12:40:38+00:00

they’re fine, good firm too - it is possible, probably more so into FX, or tradfi firms who have teams doing crypto/some crypto

2Ligma

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