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Hi guys,I've just graduated from Cambridge with a high 1st in Mathematics. I'm going on to study Part III, and I'm leaning towards the SUSY side of things - but from a mathematical viewpoint, rather than a physics viewpoint. I really enjoy what I do, and have massive interest in the things I learn about.I'm just about to finish a second summer at CSFB, at which I've been working in operations, making some programs in VB which help speed up day-to-day tasks. I have some basic knowledge of VB, C and C++.Would I have any chance of getting a junior quant position after finishing Part III - or would I need to stay on for a PhD? At the moment, I really want to stay on for the PhD, because I'm enjoying what I'm doing so much. However, if I thought I could get involved with the quant side of things early on, I would perhaps be willing to for go the PhD.Has anyone else been in a similar position?

i would say it's very hard but not impossible to get a job as a quant straight after part III but you would have to do the more relevant coursesegstochastic calculus (read williams over the summer if you didn't do probability in part II)numerical analysis statisticsany math finance courses possibly even as a reading courserather than SUSY stuff

You should stay on at Cambridge and do your PhD in string theory .

You have some chance yes, but as Mark says, it's non trivial.Your summers at CSFB will help a bit, but will not help you compete with PhD's and people with hard line experience.Many banks will aim you at their graduate training programme, which can be good but is often very limiting.If you're enjoying your work, and given you've shown aptitude the PhD sounds a no brainer. There are various things you can do to make it "finance-friendly", which may be better for you.

Hi Anth0nyAs I think you know, I will also be doing Part III and will be taking the courses mj suggests (as well as an essay on interest rate modelling). I know for a fact that I won't be doing a PhD. Unlike yourself I have five years financial markets experience (just turned 30), but it sounds like your potential as a Mathematician is greater than mine. Hopefully I will get an opportunity somewhere as a junior quant or even in something like systematic/high frequency trading (using stat arb, etc). Don't think it will be easy, but then again, is there an easy route to a quant/HF trading position? - if so, nobody's told me.My advice to anyone is do what they enjoy most (if you can afford it) - so for you I guess that means doing the PhD.

By the way DCFC, do you offer any special rates for your C++ course for us penniless students?!

Anth0ny - I have a PhD in Finance with a minor in quantitative methods. With your math aptitude and your expressed interest in further education, I'd go for the PhD if I were you, especially if you're relatively "young" (say, late twenties, early thirties.)I'd be very selective in the physics coursework though, if I was headed for a financial quant position. No matter what you hear/read regarding financial markets, they are not the kind of physical stochastic processes that underly much of physics. Financial prices move on information arrival, which is by definition, a virtually totally random process. (I say virtually because I'm allowing for some clustering of information arrival at quarter's end, for example.)Fluid dynamics and chaos theory probably have more potential than the standard treatment of stochastic processes. JMHO.Mike

I do part of the CQF C++ course, Riaz does the rest. Will ask about student rates.