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I am going to finish my PhD in EE from a top University. I already have offers to work in leading technology firms in my field. I also got an offer to work in a quant. position, though I have little experience in C++ or Finance (I can program a little in C, C++ and have used matlab and mathematica extensively). I want to move to quant. since I want to do something new and challenging at this stage of my career and I think I can make this change. Also from a growth perspective, the quant. position seems better since you can really grow if your perform. This is something not present in big technology firms where the growth is rather average and based on experience and not performance (to a certain extent). Since this is entirely new field for me and although I am quite confident of my learning abilities, I still am not too much sure about my decision. Also the starting salary being offered in this quant. position is lower than what I am getting at EE firms which makes sense because I have more relevant experience in that field.Is there someone in this forum who can guide me? Did anyone make a switch from EE to quant. finance with a little experience in C++ or finance? Does having a lack of formal quant. finance education (MFE etc.) becomes a handicap in the long run? What is the exit strategy after say 1-2 years if you realize that you are not comfortable in this function?Any suggestions are really welcome.

wat subfield was ur research in?

It was in semiconductors/microelectronics. It involved quite a bit of modeling, simulation and statistical analysis.

I'm a headhunter in quant finance, vaguely well known in the area, so if you want a chat, there's a private message facility on this forum.I'm vaguely surprised that the quant job you are being offered pays so much less. This is some sort of signal.Some "quant" jobs are little more than Excel jockeys, and of course some EE jobs are really rather good. Without the numbers it's not possible for me to guess what is going on with you.Opinions are divided on whether you need a MFE once you have a quant job, as some believe you can teach yourself. There are also options like the Wilmott CQF which you can do part time.Exit strategy is an interesting question.

QuoteOriginally posted by: maxobamso Did anyone make a switch from EE to quant. finance with a little experience in C++ or finance?I made the jump from non-finance software development to financial software development although it was with a lot of C++ experience and a lot of self-learning about finance. A lot of the experience that you will get doing non-financial software development will come in very handy in moving to financial software development.QuoteDoes having a lack of formal quant. finance education (MFE etc.) becomes a handicap in the long run?The lack of formal education doesn't hurt, but you have to be willing and able to give yourself a lot of informal education. Before I got a paid position in the industry, I spent about two years doing unpaid quantitative finance software development and hanging out in this forum, before moving to a paid role.QuoteWhat is the exit strategy after say 1-2 years if you realize that you are not comfortable in this function?There are a number of different options. The actual work of software development is very similar in finance and non-finance and you can move in or out of the field. Also, one thing that newbies don't quite realize is the large number of different roles that are in finance.