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asto
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Joined: March 22nd, 2003, 12:49 am

sabbatical from trading

May 8th, 2016, 9:06 pm

Hello,I have a PhD and 10+ years of experience as a quant and equity exotics trader on the sell side. I am interested in Machine Learning and I would like to learn more. I am thinking of taking a year off and doing a certificate or a Master in Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning. I would like to know what my future prospective employer would think about it. Am I going to be able to go back to trading, either on the sell side or on the buy side? Is it a bad idea, given that there are so many jobless people coming from the banks now? Will it boost my career or sink it completely?A separate question: will a Master in ML give me any edge when I'll look for a job on the buy side? Is it worth it from this point of view?Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.Thanks,
 
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BankingAnalyst
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Joined: December 18th, 2009, 12:00 am

sabbatical from trading

May 9th, 2016, 7:03 am

I know a colleague who was on sabbatical in the buy side two years ago. He is very good at making money. While he managed to hit the p&l target, he decided to go on holiday for more than half a year. Then he came back and made even more money. There are some other companies who will sponsor you to do a slightly shorter sabbatical.
Last edited by BankingAnalyst on May 8th, 2016, 10:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.