Careers in Quantitative Finance

A Student's Perspective

Ashwin Rao

IIT Delhi, Jan 2013

 My Background

● B.Tech. Computer Science. IIT-Bombay.

● Ph.D. Algorithmic Algebra. USC, Los Angeles.

● VP. Quant Strategist. Goldman Sachs, NY.

● Managing Director. Modeling. Morgan Stanley.

● Founder. ZLemma.com (A Tech Startup).

 Define Quantitative Finance?

● For this talk, we limit the scope of definition to:

● Roles at Large Banks & Hedge Funds

● Trading Businesses involving Quant Analysis

● Requires advanced skills in Math/Stats/CompSci

● Requires sound understanding of trading markets

 Some Examples

● Derivatives Trader

● Trading Desk Quant Strategist

● Derivatives Modeler, Econometric Modeler

● Algorithmic Trading Quant

● Analytics Developer
 Trading Desk Strategist

● Focused on a specific business or product

● Deep knowledge of the specific market

● Blend of Math, Stats and programming skills

● Trading Strategies & Risk Management

● Work closely with Traders, Sales, Risk, IT, Ops

 Derivatives Modeler

● Modeling stochastic dynamics of markets

● Solving derivatives pricing and hedging problems

● Expertise in Arbitrage-Free Pricing Theory

● Stochastic Calculus, PDEs, Numerical Methods

● Requires programming skills too, typically C++

 Analytics Developer

● Requires strong Computer Science background

● Understanding of products and pricing models

● Tools for pricing, risk metrics, scenario analysis

● Data models, algorithms, functional programming

● Development of Domain Specific Languages

 Algorithmic Trading Quant

● Markets are going increasingly electronic

● Systematic exploitation of market inefficiencies

● Analysis of historical market behavior & patterns

● Fleeting inefficiencies - Speed of execution key

● Systems programming & Statistics backgrounds

 Preparation while at School

● Expertise in 1 language, eg: Python, Java, C++

● Probability, Analysis, Linear Algebra, Algorithms

● Basics of Derivatives Pricing (book by Shreve)

● Avoid studying advanced quant finance

● Much of your learning will happen on the job

 What to expect during interviews

● Represent your abilities clearly and accurately

● Typically, a large and diverse set of interviewers

● Flood of puzzles, programming & math problems

● Questions in your claimed areas of expertise

● Evaluation of your communication and attitude

 Current Wall Street Scenario

● Regulations have hurt the industry

● Compensation levels down from 5 years ago

● Still good for people with STEM backgrounds

● The tide is turning

● More emphasis on vanilla trading businesses

 ZLemma.com can help you

● ZLemma is a California-based tech startup

● ZLemma Quotient (ZQ) - your suitability for a job

● ZQ is your score out of 100 for a specific job

● ZQ algo evaluates your profile in detail

● A quantitative approach to career guidance

 How does the ZQ Algo work?

● Evaluates education and employment credentials

● Including your courses, projects and advisors

● Maps these credentials to a unique ZQ for a job

● Job requirements in a highly structured format

● Data-driven mathematical framework controls algo

 ZLemma.com App Features

● Get your ZQs for a wide range of STEM jobs

● From Silicon Valley to Wall Street

● Helps you understand how to improve your ZQs

● Apply for high-ZQ jobs of interest to you

● Personalized Web Site highlighting your key ZQs

 Want to learn more?

● Past lectures at: www.slideshare.net/cover_drive

● Tune in to: blog.zlemma.com

● Write to: ashwin@zlemma.com

● Our app is your friend: zlemma.com