Which masters program should I apply to?

[bootstrap]

Dear quant bros,

I am in my mid-30s in Hong Kong now and I am looking to have a mid-life career switch into quant (on the buyside) in either the US or the UK. Could you please advise whether I should apply for a masters in computer engineering or a masters in financial engineering program? The objective is to maximize my chance of getting accepted AND making the switch; I don't care much for school pedigree as long as it could get the job done. Could you please give me your advice on which route to pursue, and also some program suggestions based on my profile? A thousands thanks!

Background:
Masters degrees in Statistics and Economics from Uni of Toronto. Been working in Asia macro + thematic research for the last couple of years; was in back office prior to that. I have tried applying for junior quant jobs in HK but the feedback has generally been that I lack the computer skills to meet their needs (they all seem to want people with C++ and DevOps skills for some reason). My experience with implementing Python and SQL on GitLab and Jupyter notebook is inadequate. Hence, I want to go back to school to close the skill gap. I also intend to use master studies as a means to change geography.

Education:
MA in Econ - 3.77
MSc in Stats - 4.00
BSc in Stats and Econ - 3.88
*I tended to do better in math and stats courses than econ courses, mostly because I didn't feel like I was learning any real "econ" in the latter courses

Masters courses:
Probability (I & II) - Durrett - 4.0/4.0
Real Analysis (I & II) - Stein and Folland - 4.0/4.0
Mathematical statistics - class notes - 4.0/4.0
Statistical Learning - Hastie & Tibshirani - 4.0/4.0
Microeconomics - Mas-Colell - 3.7/4.0
Macroeconomics - Romer - 4.0/4.0
Econometrics I - Wooldridge - 4.0/4.0
Econometrics II - class notes - 3.7/4.0

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Another approach to getting into the junior quant positions you target is to address the your weakness. It seems like you can easily take both our C++ courses and possibly Python course which will cost you a few months and less than $5,000. You can then reapply to those jobs again and confidently pass the technical interviews.
You already have a master degree and some relevant work experience. All you need is to bring your programming skills up to date. Many if not most quant-related jobs these days require a very strong programming training, be it C++, Python, etc. The students who completed our courses do really well in those jobs.

How Quantnet's C++ certificates got me a job on Wall Street

Dear prospective students, I recently signed a contract with a top Investment Bank for an Associate C++ Developer position in the Securities Technology Division in New York. Three years ago I had very little programming and math knowledge, and non-relevant work experience. I was just another...

quantnet.com

 

[bootstrap]

Another approach to getting into the junior quant positions you target is to address the your weakness. It seems like you can easily take both our C++ courses and possibly Python course which will cost you a few months and less than $5,000. You can then reapply to those jobs again and confidently pass the technical interviews.
You already have a master degree and some relevant work experience. All you need is to bring your programming skills up to date. Many if not most quant-related jobs these days require a very strong programming training, be it C++, Python, etc. The students who completed our courses do really well in those jobs.

How Quantnet's C++ certificates got me a job on Wall Street

Dear prospective students, I recently signed a contract with a top Investment Bank for an Associate C++ Developer position in the Securities Technology Division in New York. Three years ago I had very little programming and math knowledge, and non-relevant work experience. I was just another...

quantnet.com

Hi Andy, thank you so much for your advice!

I agree that a short non-degree course in C++ is also an option. But since I also want to leave Hong Kong for either the US or the UK, I thought I could kill two birds with one stone - a MFin program. Would you have any recommendation with regards to that? Thank you!

 

[Andy Nguyen]

If you want to work in the US or UK then doing an MFE degree in the respective geography makes sense. Just apply to a few of the top programs that you feel you can get into (much research is needed to make this determination). QuantNet is the place to do this kind of research.
You still need to do these C++ courses sooner anyway since top programs would require that you have a programming certificate.

 

[bootstrap]

If you want to work in the US or UK then doing an MFE degree in the respective geography makes sense. Just apply to a few of the top programs that you feel you can get into (much research is needed to make this determination). QuantNet is the place to do this kind of research.
You still need to do these C++ courses sooner anyway since top programs would require that you have a programming certificate.

Thanks a lot Andy! I will do my best.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Thanks a lot Andy! I will do my best.

Best of luck and keep us updated on your progress. We are here to help. You are not alone in the journey. There are lot of silent members here who are going through the same process so it's good to get feedback.

 

[MikeLawrence]

Best of luck and keep us updated on your progress. We are here to help. You are not alone in the journey. There are lot of silent members here who are going through the same process so it's good to get feedback.

My advice is to follow Andys advice. Just to lend another face/name to its credibility rather than a silent face.

 

[bootstrap]

Thanks guys, will do. I guess most aspiring quants are more on the introverted side.

 

[MikeLawrence]

Thanks guys, will do. I guess most aspiring quants are more on the introverted side.

There isn't much point in rehashing @Andy Nguyen's post. He cut to the chase pretty well.