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Should I get an MFE?

Karth

Karth

Joined
12/28/12
Messages
19
Points
13
A bit about myself... I did my undergraduate at a tier 1 engineering school, majoring in CS and mathematics. I worked at Google as a software engineer for a bit, and liked research enough to just start a PhD program in CS, specifically in machine learning. I'm fortunate enough to have attend one of the top-4 schools (MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Berkeley, Stanford). I'm a first year student, and am thinking about exploring quantitative and or algorithic trading, in both research and implementation, maybe in the long term after my PhD... so maybe around 4 years from now.

Would it make sense for me to think about doing an MFE after my PhD? Otherwise, do you have suggestions for how I could enter this field?

Thanks!

K
 
MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Berkeley, and Stanford all have very good MFE programs. I think you can just take a few courses with them (if it is allowed), and then make your own decision.
 
Why do you need a MFE? I think you will have many more options after your Phd in ML from such Ivy League. Better just keep in touch with market or take some courses. You will see most of these trading jobs don't really ask for financial experience. Google some of the jobs in algorithmic trading etc for Phd in ML guys. You will get a bit of idea.
 
Ivy is an old football conference. Yes. Those are all good schools that you listed.
 
Thanks for the advice!

What's the best way to enter the field of algorithmic trading, and how can I learn more about the overall field? A bit more about me:
- Strong in programming (9 years of Java, 3 years of C++, 1 year of Python)
- Strong in mathematics (math major in undergraduate, publish papers that are math-intensive, mainly in machine learning)
- Know nothing about finance (I have a bank account, know how to swipe a credit card, and know what a stock is)

Also, could you provide more insight as to what an MFE can offer to a Ph.D. student in Computer Science? Would job prospects/starting positions be any better with an MFE after I get my Ph.D.? I notice that most programs take only 1-2 years for the MFE, so I wouldn't mind spending a couple of more years in school. Would this be worth it, though? If this question is difficult to answer, what sorts of questions should I be asking myself to get an answer?

Meanwhile, I'm planning on sitting in a couple of classes next semester just to see what the program is like.
 
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