January 28th, 2009, 1:25 am
Im sorry if this has been asked before, and im quite sure it has, in some variation, but I couldnt find a thread based on the questions I have. Essentially, im seeking a bit of career advice as im facing an existential crisis of sorts. A little about my dilemma/"experience":After getting a BS in honors math from the University of Michigan and an MS in applied math at Northwestern, im currently working on a PHD in Mechanical Engineering. I had thought that I wanted to go into quantitative finance upon the completion of my degree, but now im second guessing myself. Im not sure if I want/need to stay in school to be a Quant, if doing the PhD in ME (Computational/Theoretical focus) is "a waste", if becoming a trader would be better, etc. Im basically doing some soul searching, because this is, lets say, a bifurcation point in my possible career track.Trader or Quant? PhD in ME or cut my losses? Any other advice?Thank you in advance for any advice you may offer. Its rather stressful coming to this fork in the road; I want to make an informed decision...