Hey, Enrolled in the CQF and completed their maths primer; My undergrad was business and CFA charterholder --> no higher level maths rather than standard stats and calc 1. Studied all the other maths through the shaum’s guide (prob, calc 1-3, ODE’s, PDE’s, lin. algebra). Just inquiring of individuals with similar profiles who have passed the CQF; i.e. business students -> not looking for responses from Math, Physics, Engineering, CS, Actuaries, or any other math groomed individual; just highly motivated, self starting folks who realize without higher maths, they might as well get a broker job and pettle mutual funds since quant is definitely taking over!
Hey.
Forgive me for asking, but CQF is some sort of quant certificate, isn’t it? And if you pass - or intend to pass - wouldn’t you have turned into one of these people, “a math groomed individual”? Or how else do you intend to become a quant professional?
MehdiOchre Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Forgive me for asking, but CQF is some sort of > quant certificate, isn’t it? And if you pass - or > intend to pass - wouldn’t you have turned into one > of these people, “a math groomed individual”? Or > how else do you intend to become a quant > professional? Yes -> I will be transformed in this fashion. I want to understand from others how their transformation occured, how many hours per week of work, how difficult, etc… There are business folks who take this program, but I understand they are the exception, not the norm. And before we get into it, I do not intend to work as a quant but to overlay quant strategies with my trading decisions.
Yes Quants are def. taking over the world Sales, banking, research, lending, etc. need quants more than CQF produces
Hey Keys, I definitely agree on this statement. I am also coming from an non-quant background. I had my undergraduate and graduate degree in accounting and finance and finished CFA, FRM and CPA already. I am in the process of getting CAIA. But none of these certificates represent quantitative finance credential. How difficult it was in the CQF program? I presumed they go beyond the Single Variable Calculus (Calculus I and II from school of arts and science) and Multivariable Calculus … partial differential equations and so on…! The CQF is not cheap. Have you also consider MFE?
phish wong, CFA, CPA, FRM, CAIA, CQF Seriously duide, you gonna look like a dick with all those !
Philip, You might consider going to Law School too afterwards, it is always useful.
Hey Alayle, Thanks. I really don’t like law. I tried Master of Science in Taxation a long time ago and I gave up but I do like finance. Definitely quantitative finance is the way to go in order to get into more interesting and rewarding areas of finance or technically a higher-barrier-to-entry kind of works. Are you in the area of quantitative finance or financial engineering? I know a guy who has a financial engineering degree also sat for FRM and passed. (He got all five parts scored in the 1st quartile) He is going to finish up CFA and PRM also. Very competitive job market…!
CQF is a joke to real quants
To me, a “quant” is PhD.
some of my friends employers are making them do the CQF . . . maybe to develop more skills
Not necessarily, finance industry used to draw hard science PhD from other fields. Most of them did not have background of finance. However, there are many master programs nowadays such as mathematic finance or financial engineering and many varieties of such to fill the every increasing demands that cannot be filled by regular MBA …! But some jobs do specify they only want PhD.
My guess is that to be a low level/junior quant, you would need to get an equivalent of a MSc in a quant discipline, ie. about two years’ worth of work. To be a real quant, you will need a PhD in a quant discipline.
Okay…this thread has digressed once again… MFE -> hmmm, approximately 6-8 math courses required to get into any reputable MFE; 60-70% of the problems solved in these math courses are unrelated to 95% of finance!!! And let’s not forget the tuition costs at various schools for these credits. PhD -> WOW! a revelation; it’s not like every thread regarding quant has some smart a$$ telling everyone that you require a PhD to be taken seriously…oh wait, it always does… Anyways; I am not here to debate the various requirements for a quant job, whether this designation is worth pursuit, or any other ancillary subject --> I am interested in the viewpoints of individuals who have taken the progam… STOP HIGHJACKING THE THREAD!!!
actuaryalfred Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > CQF is a joke to real quants You’re a joke to real quants too 
Keys Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > actuaryalfred Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > CQF is a joke to real quants > > > You’re a joke to real quants too I’m realer than real quants
Keys Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > PhD -> WOW! a revelation; it’s not like every > thread regarding quant has some smart a$$ telling > everyone that you require a PhD to be taken > seriously…oh wait, it always does… Not only that, but FourCastles has already informed me that my future PhD + CFA are worthless and that I’d have to write a book in the field, graduate from Cambridge, and have 15 years of front office trading experience in order to get my foot in the door - otherwise I’d be just like the other dime-a-dozen PhDs on the Street who are working for peanuts just to get by.
sublimity Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Keys Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > PhD -> WOW! a revelation; it’s not like every > > thread regarding quant has some smart a$$ > telling > > everyone that you require a PhD to be taken > > seriously…oh wait, it always does… > > Not only that, but FourCastles has already > informed me that my future PhD + CFA are worthless > and that I’d have to write a book in the field, > graduate from Cambridge, and have 15 years of > front office trading experience in order to get my > foot in the door - otherwise I’d be just like the > other dime-a-dozen PhDs on the Street who are > working for peanuts just to get by. In addition, act and look like a non-native English speaker, have some people skills, less arrogant and a can do attitude.
Keys Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > actuaryalfred Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > CQF is a joke to real quants > > > You’re a joke to real quants too Dude, when actuaryalfred says jump, you should ask how high. So long as it relates to quants. Respectfully.