April 14th, 2011, 10:10 am
Take the Fed job... you can continue with your studies..they'll (actually we'll) pay the tuition, you'll get work experience you can apply to later opportunities, good benefits, yada, yada...QuoteOriginally posted by: zhaopengluHello everyone, I have had this dilemma for a troubling week. Asked a lot of people, but still want to hear more from you guys.It has been a year with a lot of preparations, anxieties and excitements, and I have made so many good friends in this process. It has really been an invaluable experience!In fact, besides CMU, I have also been offered a job in Chicago Fed as research assistant covering financial market research. I am having a hard time deciding if I should take the job or going to CMU.The job itself is not very demanding, and not so much like what a typical quant job. However, I am thinking that I may possibly meet many top figures in the city if I network well, and there it is possible to transition into the private industry after 2-3 years. As Chicago is the clearing center for options, futures and some other derivatives, I feel it is highly likely I may get some first-hand experience on the development of financial regulations regarding those fields, and could possibly be useful in my later career.However, as for CMU, I really like it so much. It has been my dream school since my sophomore year. I like its balanced focus on financial theories and financial computing. The job prospect is also excellent. But nevertheless, I worried a little about going there without any w/e will put me in disadvantage. Since a decent job is so hard to get nowadays, and whenever something is rare, it becomes a valuable asset.In the future, I would like to work in derivative markets, maybe trading, maybe structuring. As more banks are cutting prop trading to comply with the new regulation, should I worry about the prospect of MFE?I will thank you guys in advance for your generous help!