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What are the potential jobs for finance PhDs

mamo

Joined
11/11/09
Messages
2
Points
11
<!-- / icon and title --> <!-- message --> I am currently finishing up my course work for a PhD in Finance at 50-100 ranked university. My math is a little rusty but I have BA & MS in Math.

I want to work in industry but I have been in the academia all my life and I have very little knowledge of the kind of jobs that are compatible with my background. Making the matter more complicated, I can not even discuss this with my adviser since he expects me to go to academia. Academia is an option for me but not the first option.

For some of you, let me tell you what I did/ will do before graduation. Took courses in Microecon, econometrics, and seminars. Seminars are usually reading/replicating lots and lots of papers in asset pricing (empirical and theoretical) and corporate finance. Well, there are others embedded in these two major fields such as micro-structure, game theory and banking. The coursework is followed by a comprehensive exam. After that is the dissertation stage where I look into a very minute issue and address it (mainly empirically) from different angles. This is basically the big picture.

With this kind of academic preparation, what kind of jobs should I probably be looking into in the future? I am just trying to figure out the opportunity set.

Thanks a lot!
 
I asked a similar question a few weeks ago, most of the answers were implying that I must be crazy that I am interested in Wall St. instead of going into academia.
 
I just read the post and it is interesting to read the comments. While it is true that the life style is relatively relaxed in academia than industry, we need to remember that for the first 6 years (pre-tenure time), the hours are a little longer than what some might expect. This is of course with out any bonus.

Do you still plan to go to WS given the opportunity?
 
And a tenure-track position for a recent PhD is never a given in the recent market. Universities cut tenure-track positions and instead replace them with adjunct part-time lecturers.
So in fact, with a Finance PhD from a 50-100 school, it will be hard to find an academia job, let alone Wall street.
If you haven't done so already, go to the first link in my signature and get the guides in the master reading list, in particular the What do quants do. If you see some similarity in the qualification required, you can target those jobs.
 
I think the question should be "What can someone with knowledge in Finance(I mean Ph.D level) but almost no expertise in C++ can do in Wall St. at Hedge Funds etc.?"

I mean what is Finance knowledge good for when you don't know C++? Do you know any people like this?
 
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