One of the fundamental issues faced by humans when thinking about their careers choices, is they are unsure about the path to take. The decision becomes even more difficult with new career options which emerge due to ever-changing tech and of course digitization. One such career is that of a quantitative financial analyst, where an individual is required to study market scenarios and come up with risk assessment as well as avoidance strategies.
So if you are also thinking of pursuing a career as a quant, here are a few undergraduate quant courses you should go for:
1.Mathematics
If you wish to be a success as a quant, there is no getting around this subject which most people tend to find difficult to master. Mathematics is one of the crucial subjects you need to master given you will need to apply statistics and probability concepts for mathematical modeling. Also, simply studying the course isn’t enough, given recruiters often look for candidates with good grades as well as deep understanding of concepts like linear algebra, partial differential equations, vector calculus etc. These topics take time and practice to master, however, once done tend to open numerous avenue for a candidate in the quant domain.
2. Computer Science
With the concepts of machine learning and AI being rapidly included in day to day trade and finance, it has become somewhat necessary for an individual to study this course. The quantitative finance and computation infrastructure requires an individual to be well versed with programming languages such as C++ and or Python which are increasingly being used to develop low latency applications, codebase refactoring as well as cluster design and modelling. An undergraduate course in computer science further ensures job stability and career security, given a graduate in this domain can choose between a variety of roles in finance or tech sector.
3. Electric or Electronic Engineering
Electric or Electronic Engineering compared to popular misconception doesn’t end up with graduates soldering wires. In fact, similar to computer science, an undergraduate course in electrical engineering, allows graduates to understand decipher digital signals which come in handy during high-frequency trading etc. Also, being from an engineering background, an individual has the advantage of switching between finance and electronics industry.
4. Economics
An undergraduate course in economics is not as effective and powerful as the courses mentioned above, however, this doesn’t mean that studying this is a futile exercise. A course in economics isn’t as rigorous than a course in Maths, Computer science or Electronics, however, is of great help in understanding concepts such as time series analysis. A course in economics will generally land you in an asset management firm; however, if you pair it with a course in mathematics, then your resume will be near perfect for a quant role.
So, these are the top 4 quant courses you should try and apply for if you are looking to secure a seat in Wall Street. If you feel that there is something that we missed, or you liked the article, please don’t forget to mention the same in the comment section below.
