QuoteOriginally posted by: DevonFangsQuoteOriginally posted by: xploringyou'd be able to do anything you want after graduation--from Jane Street to NASA to Google X.LOLBut seriously, finish your PhD.Aren't these good companies to work for?

<t>Definitely finish your PhD, it sounds like you're pretty close to completion. Just hang in there for one more year and graduate with a PhD from MIT. This degree is so prestigious it would be a shame to let it go; you'd be able to do anything you want after graduation--from Jane Street to NASA to ...

<t>I was definitely thinking about how to demonstrate greater interest in the markets and trading, so I researched topics in algorithmic trading and changed my master's thesis topic to "Machine Learning Techniques for Portfolio Selection and Optimization". Hope this thesis topic doesn't sound too un...

<t>QuoteOriginally posted by: TinManQuoteOriginally posted by: xploringHi Dominic, thanks for your reply. Yes, I have heard of the London Whale and that JPM's reputation was significantly affected by this. At their networking event at my school everyone very carefully steered clear of any discussion...

<t>QuoteOriginally posted by: DominicConnorI take it that you've heard of the London Whale ?But this is a big thing, so there's lots of things to learn and it would look good on your CV.A bit of personal trading is good, but a pervasive theme in CV design is that anything you say is a source of inte...

<t>On my university's job board there is a listing for a Global Portfolio Strategy Internship at JPM Chief Investment Office. It's open to current MSc and PhD students in quantitative subjects. Responsibilities include analyzing assets and liabilities of the portfolio, understanding regulatory chang...

<t>QuoteOriginally posted by: MattFQuoteOriginally posted by: xploring I am not good at programming and it's frustrating to study Quicksort for 3 hours using textbooks, websites, youtube videos and still not understand exactly how it works.Well at least you're honest but if you can't understand Quic...

<t>QuoteOriginally posted by: DevonFangsYou just think differently, get over it and don't call programming stupid (i.e. without a-ha moments and out of the box thinking).This part is right. I've been programming with javascript and php for nearly 10 years and C++ for 3. I've never done it for fun, o...

<t>They're not exactly the same. Not sure if it's me but induction proofs in computer science seem less rigorous than in math. At least much wordier Math proofs that are well-written are ingenious and succinct. They make you say "boy, I could have reduced my proof by 20 lines had I been able to see ...

<t>QuoteOriginally posted by: capafan2QuoteOriginally posted by: xploringUgh, is that where the industry has gone these days? Do they still like hiring nuclear physicists as quants or is it all just computer science guys these days?I honestly think you should rethink your career choices. Academia mi...

Ugh, is that where the industry has gone these days? Do they still like hiring nuclear physicists as quants or is it all just computer science guys these days?

<t>QuoteOriginally posted by: UltravioletI love maths and I hate coding - it's so boring and dull that my brain feels like partially shutting down when I do it. The thing is it's becoming more and more popular (traders code in Python and analysts write macros in VB), even in maths when you try to so...

<t>Eh, I am the classic nerd--average to below average social skills and somewhat socially anxious, so a MBA is out of the question. I've tried doing sales in the past and it was a disaster. If I had to support myself through commissions I'd starve to death.So, a quant / strategist type of person on...

<t>Hm it sounds like at least a basic level of computer science is necessary. Guess I'll try to finish up a few core courses in the MSCS before attempting to switch to MS Math. I am not good at programming and it's frustrating to study Quicksort for 3 hours using textbooks, websites, youtube videos ...

<t>The Intro to Algorithms course is purely theoretical, we only use pseudocode. The midterm coming up next week requires that we memorize a lot of sorting algorithms and their component functions, like heap-increase-key, square-matrix-multiply, etc. I'm terrible at memorizing stuff and I talked to ...