Quant meme

So 2.5 years ago I went on this board and asked for the best degrees to make money. Someone here told me to go for a degree in maths and then become a maths PhD, in order to work for large banks as a "quant" and rake in a lot of money. He also told me that if I had to ask here, I probably wouldn't be smart enough for it.

Now here we are, I actually study math in university, I'm in my second year now and things are going well. Lately I've been talking to some professors about the banking industry (jokingly, not to give off the impression that I'm a greedy bastard) and they all seem to be of the opinion that the finance world is a joke, and these people know hardly anything about math.

I also went to some career events at banks and everyone basically acted like quants are second class citizens on wall street, everyone referred to them as the "nerds" making mathematical models. From the way they talked about quants, it seemed as if quants don't see the big picture and make less money and get less respect than other bankers.

Is there anyone in the finance industry who can shed some light on becoming a quant as a career path? I'm still considering it, it's as if the closer I get to it, the shittier it actually seems.

Sure. Finance is the second biggest earnings industry in America behind medicine. Quants also make a shit ton of money.

I would recommend stats + finance though. I have a masters in applied econ/metrics and stats and finance is all I do.

you are not gonna make it.

you only can get in if you have someone already in, and it seems you don't.

Is it fun? Do you make a lot of money? How did you get in?

>Fully aware of this
>Know quants work long hours for shitty pay so chad can piggy back
>Still, fiancee's dad forces me to break up with her because I won't study to be a quant
>On a career trajectory that might actually lead me to a real hedge fund / wallstreet position
T O P
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>you only can get in if you have someone already in, and it seems you don't.
That's kinda what I was thinking as well.

Hiring processes seem really rigorous, and I'm slightly autistic.

Who were the people who told you that those things about quants?

Some people from university (grad students who interned at banks), and recruiters at career events (for IT jobs, but I realized I actually hate IT).

I've never actually spoken with a quant.

Yeah, i'd treat those opinions as bollocks. Interns don't really know what they're talking about, and if by recruiters you mean recruitment consultants, they just want to shill you whatever jobs they have on their books.

Basically though, if you follow the quant route and are good at it you will get paid in accordance with your desk's performance.

>brainlet frat bro b school car salesmen on wall street dont like it when people start talking numbers because theyre already too young to remember the last bear market
i wouldnt value the opinions of those around you too much

>implying he doesn't get paid 100x the pay of the quant
deal w/ it

>i'm slightly autistic

Some 20 years ago this wouldn't be an issue and we could just put you in the back office to run regression models and monte-carlo sims. These days we have to stroll you out in front of the client so they see who is crunching the numbers on their deal. Unfortunately for you friend that makes your autistic-ness a real barrier to entry for investment banking. Maybe try to get on a smaller PE shop or macro fund.

In case you're curious, most of the math is DFE (& partial DFE) and statistics. Nothing too difficult but the math won't give you the "why" it just gives you the "how". What you do with the math is what makes you money in this business.

yeah and theyll be the ones going to prison or eating bullets in just a few short years

They talk shit because they are successful. A dishwasher that is nice has a lot of friends. You climb the ladder and you start losing friends; Societal rules adapt accordingly.

Are you man enough to have no friends other than sycophants?

G R A N T E D

Bump

Just become an actuary. Anyone with a math undergrad can pass the basic tests, and if you pass the harder tests you can make a decent $150k.

That's a good idea. Honestly I'm just looking for a job where I can do math all day long without having to deal with people.

Way over my head.

Question tho. How many of those faggots are retired and rich?

If they were so smart why they wagecucking?

I suggest not taking advise from people that aren't into what they are talking about.

Some friends told me "you can't loose money in a 401k."

So i looked it up.

Actually wound up cancelling it.

I'm not more autistic than on average (I'm pretty social, I get nervous during interviews but no more so than the average person). I'm doing a math/econ double major with a minor in finance (My uni only has an internship program at our business school so I had to tack on finance).

If I get a few good internships or use my professor contacts (I've had them since high school since my high school was private and owned by the university), would I be able to make it?

Actuary here. I studied mathematics at UPenn.

If you can pass the tests, which is really hard, then being an actuary is really easy. You're not doing math all day, that's a misconception. Depending on where you are, you'll be doing a lot of looking at Excel files, programming in VBA/SAS/SQL, and plugging in data into models and software that creates models. No real math in there except on the tests.

Wait, you "canceled" your 401k? Are you retarded?

>canceling a 401k

Is this a new meme? Who would do this?

>Depending on where you are, you'll be doing a lot of looking at Excel files, programming in VBA/SAS/SQL, and plugging in data into models and software that creates models. No real math in there except on the tests.
Isn't that boring?

Extremely.

I'm at work right now and I get about 2 hours of work per week. Yes per week. Those 2 hours are spent looking at excel files for 70k per year.

Holy shit, what do you do the rest of the time? Browse Veeky Forums? Study up on new math? What did you do your undergrad in?

>What did you do your undergrad in?
Wait, mathematics as you said. Did you go to graduate school?

Did my undegrad in mathematics. The rest of the time I browse Veeky Forums, yes, and I have been trying to learn how to invest better with crypto lately.

No graduate school. I just graduated in December 2016 so really new. It's mostly because I'm new that nobody has much work for me, if any, yet.

Alright. Actuary seems like something I could do. Anything else I should know?

All that matters is your actuarial tests. They are hard and they are all anybody cares about. As long as you can kinda program a little, got a bachelors degree in something not retarded, or retarded it's not important, and have some kinda vague experience with data at some point, you'll be fine as long as you pass the tests. The actuarial tests are all that matter for hiring and being an actuary. Just pass the tests.

Also, remember that it's a fucking cubicle wagecuck job. It's not glamorous like investment banking. It's a really luxurious, well-paid office job with little work and everything, but at the end of the day you're still a wagecuck and you aren't a glamorous wall street investment banker or anything like that.

Go read the soa.org site about actuaries if you need more information.

I'm just here for the money. Once I have enough, I'll look for a way out.

Thanks mate. I will consider this as a career path.

>ITT: lol, why are you not doing investment banking, you wagecuck?

Just for the sake of clarity, most of us (all of us, so don't get any ideas) are not meant to be the main players on LBO deals etc. Jobs like Quant aren't too hard to get into (worked as a quant risk analyst myself) as long as you have at least some literacy in math/finance. It is quite hard to transition from quant to sales side (where the big money is at) but you will have plenty of time to develop mad portfolio skills with all the free time you will get as a quant. What I am trying to say is that this option is quite alright, unless you are willing to work your ass off on networking (because that matters the most) to get into serious sales side positions. Just my 2 cents.

I don't have the ambition to be some billionaire/CEO/banker. I just want a job where I can do math all day and make a decent salary. I would like to become an academic if only the pay wasn't absolute shit.

Can you share some of your experiences? What did you graduate in?