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Can you work outside of Wall St. with an MFE?

Harkkam

Harkkam

Joined
5/20/12
Messages
46
Points
18
I was just wondering if MFE's only find employment on Wall St. I really enjoy the application of math and statistical studies into financial matters, but Wall. St is a very rocky place and making a large investment into a degree only useful on Wall St.

Would MFE's find employment working in F500 companies if they needed to?
 
I am not entirely sure about this, but my guess is that with the technical skills of an MFE he/she might only study some books to become a data scientist and with that work in something of the sort of marketing analytics.
 
Harkkam said:
Would MFE's find employment working in F500 companies if they needed to?
Click to expand...

Yes, the nexus of finance and coding is important to all F500 companies. An MFE who has skills in both (buttressed, perhaps, by courses in financial and cost accounting, and managerial finance) and knows how to sell what he to offer shouldn't have a problem. MBAs generally can't do hard-core coding.
 
AD companies are the new hot spot. Check out jobs at AppNexus for example.
 
Wow those are some great positions at App Nexus, that makes me feel better. Everyone runs toward wall st. thinking they are going to become the next millionaire, but I'm hoping for job security and a steady paycheck.

If I can make 120k+ and not worry day after day if Im going to lose my job, Im going to be happy, very happy.

I think that the only way to real wealth 1mm+ is to try and start a business, and not try to fight the statistical odds that you become the next great hero on wall st. which most people wont.

But anyway thanks again
 
Moreover, what I also find worth considering is whether a MFE degree can open up doors not only in other industries, but also geographically, so to speak. It most certainly makes sense that quants are mostly needed in the global dominant financial centres - New York, London, Hong Kong, etc. But nevertheless, I'm curious as to whether anyone has taken/could take their quantitative finance skills and employ them in other parts of the world. What if a quant suddenly decides to live somewhere unusual - Africa, South America, Asia, or the Middle East, for example?

I'm aware that a possible first step would be to do some digging for information on the financial sectors in the prefered countries - I've heard of quant job offers in Dubai - but what can you do as a quant in 'non-quant-friendly' cities, which is the case with a considerably big part of the world.

I'm sorry that this question may be far-fetched. I'm thinking about opening an entirely new thread for this topic.
 
There is a bit of a quant scene going on in Argentina. Also, many programmers are hired in Argentina at Google, Facebook, IBM, in Argentina.
 
Speaking from experience the answer is yes, but it's not exactly an extensive range. Also I'd be careful about the big data thing - working for an employer that creates a big data team for the sake of it is a recipe for disaster, whereas working for one that genuinely needs help (eg travel companies, massive online stores) is for the future. Trust me, you don't want to be in the former situation and back on this forum 2-3 years later desperately seeking help to get back into big data or help with a career change.

Personally I would say you mightn't have the same issues as career changing I had (I left banking after 6 years) as with most junior mathematical roles line managers prejudice towards fresh graduates. Just understand the difference in approach and culture and get it across in interview and you're fine. It's not like most random degrees where you can faff around doing this and that and fall into something - advice I often give people in banking that hate it, particularly those not from MFE or MBA backgrounds, is to get out early and act fast as employers in other industries always see it as "they thought the grass was greener on the other side" and make a transition very difficult. Possibly best you do this now, rather than suffer trying the transition later.
 
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