Pre-MFE Work Experience

[atomic]

Hey all,

I'm a graduating college senior, finishing up an Applied Math degree from a well-respected program. After college, I'll be doing a traditional Investment Banking Analyst stint at a Bulge Bracket bank, but the more I think about it, the less excited I am about doing something that's not very quantitative, and not very intellectual rigorous. I feel like I sort of ended up in this role because everyone else was gunning for it, and I thought I should be doing the same.

Anyway:

I've been doing a ton of research on MFE's and some Financial Mathematics/MFin's, and I think Quantitative Research, or even Risk Management if it were a more PM-type situation at a Hedge Fund, is something I'd really, really be interested in pursuing down the road.

That said, I'm wondering how MFE programs are going to view my work experience. Is it going to be positive? Or are they going to wonder about my commitment to quantitative finance?

Sorry if this is a naive question. I'd just rather put myself in a position to succeed now, rather than spend two years doing something miserable and have it hurt me.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Your experience is a plus because: you know the corporate culture, you know what kind of job you hate. Your competitors usually don't have job experience.
That also means you don't know if you will be successful in an MFE program and enjoy the kind of jobs they entail. A lot of dull and boring task will be part of what financial engineers do daily.
Got bored cleaning up data in badly formatted Excel sheet? You may have to deal with it again in a massive scale.

 

[atomic]

Thanks for replying so quickly!

It's the not actual Corporate Finance work I mind so much -- I know every job has its share of menial tasks. It's more the "Big Picture" perspective that bothers me about Banking. A lot of fooling around with tiny aspects of an Excel model that's hardly even being considered by the folks who are driving the deal. Plus, I love Math: If I could do anything, it would be a Math PhD. At the moment, however, I'm more concerned with the financial well-being of my family than my own intellectual stimulation.

However, an MFE seems like a happy medium between the two, which is what's really been drawing me to the idea.

Thanks again for the help!