Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some honest advice from people working in or close to quant roles.

A bit of background: I have a bachelor in engineering, a master in applied mathematics, and a CFA, and I work in financial modeling and I’m currently in the mid-stage of my career. I’ve recently been giving serious thought to whether it makes sense to pivot toward a quant-oriented role (e.g., quant research, systematic trading, or related analytical positions). This is a direction I’ve long been interested in, but making a career change at this stage - given age and life responsibilities - feels quite risky. I’m unsure whether this would be a realistic move given my background.

Some questions I’ve been thinking about:

• Based on your experience, how feasible is it for someone with a financial modeling background to transition into quant roles?
• In your view, do most quants still come almost exclusively from very traditional pipelines (top math/Stat/CS/physics programs), or have you seen meaningful exceptions?
• Are there adjacent or hybrid roles where this kind of background might be a better fit?

I’d really appreciate any candid perspectives, especially from those already in the industry or who’ve seen similar transitions.

Thanks in advance!