Breaking into quant finance with a CS degree?

[NormantheForemanXCV]

I was wondering is it possible for Computer Science grads to work in quant finance? If so what positions are open to them?

 

[CrossGamma]

Look into quant trader roles - they are typically open to a variety of STEM backgrounds. I work at one of the big trading firms and our graduates come from a variety of disciplines incl. computer science. Quant research roles are usually looking for more specialized profiles, e.g. a strong background in probability and statistics which you normally don’t get in a CS degree.

 

[Daniel Duffy]

A very general remark: most CS curricula don't have the kind of maths that is needed.
They probably weren't built for that.

And the maths in CS tend to be discrete data structures; little pure or applied analysis.
Just saying.

 

[NormantheForemanXCV]

So its usually a degree in math or statistics? I'm assuming it has to be a masters or phd?

 

[CrossGamma]

So its usually a degree in math or statistics? I'm assuming it has to be a masters or phd?

It depends. For a quant trader you could already apply after your current degree as I wrote. For a quant researcher your stats and probability background will likely not suffice.

 

[NormantheForemanXCV]

so where are these jobs typically at exactly? Like what state/city i have to move to?

 

[rajanS]

Depends on ur focus. If you focused on robotics or ai, u have more than enough background to work as a quant researcher or even a quant developer at firms.