Mathematical Finance Program at UofT

[twofish-quant]

My question to twoquant, if you do take mathematical finance and it is mostly mathematics and you take a couple of PDE courses, could you then work in the industry together with (continuum) mechanics people? Its both mathematics/differential equations?

There are dozens of different jobs in the industry. One reason that I'm not the best person to ask about jobs for masters of mathematical finance is that these tend to be somewhat different jobs than the one's physics Ph.D.'s go out for. If you've got a good program, then the people that run the program are talking to people in industry to see what is useful and what isn't.

The jobs I'm familiar with are mostly research ones. In that case, it's not what you know, but how quickly you can learn.

 

[twofish-quant]

Where you among the people who lost their jobs ? And how severe where the layoffs of "quants"(i.e 40%.. etc)?

Depends. There were massive layoffs in front office. No one in risk that I know got laid off. One thing that happened was that there were entire banks (e.g. Lehman) that went under in which most people got laid off.

 

[╔(σ_σ)╝]

Depends. There were massive layoffs in front office. No one in risk that I know got laid off. One thing that happened was that there were entire banks (e.g. Lehman) that went under in which most people got laid off.

That's good news for me since I am interested in risk.
In your opinion which "quant" jobs are more "layoff-proof" or recession proof?

 

[George Jones]

Does anyone have an experience with the MMF program at UofT( University of Toronto)?

Any advice for me? Good or bad, I still want to hear it.

Someone I know, but with whom I have little contact (I'm in New Brunswick), finished this program. I have talked to him about it, but, unfortunately, I don't remember with certainty very much of what he said.

He graduated from the the U of T mathematics and physics program, and decided that the MMF program was a quicker and surer route to a good job than grad school.

He now has a related position in Toronto that I think he likes, and I think that he doesn't regret his decision.

Sorry that I can't remember more of the details.

 

[╔(σ_σ)╝]

Someone I know, but with whom I have little contact (I'm in New Brunswick), finished this program. I have talked to him about it, but, unfortunately, I don't remember with certainty very much of what he said.

He graduated from the the U of T mathematics and physics program, and decided that the MMF program was a quicker and surer route to a good job than grad school.

He now has a related position in Toronto that I think he likes, and I think that he doesn't regret his decision.

Sorry that I can't remember more of the details.

That's enough information. Thank you very very much.

At least now I have some sort of feedback about the program. Thank very much.

 

[ych22]

Rich people can get poor. Also one reason I like finance a lot is that I like to ask stupid questions that aren't that stupid. What is space? What is time? What is money? What is wealth? I go to the ATM, put in my card, and colored bits of paper come out. I take those colored bits of paper, and I give it to someone, and they give me a slice of pizza.

That's really bizarre. What *really* happens? As with most questions, the more you know, the less you understand. The more I think about time, the less I understand it. Same thing with money. But sometimes the most important thing to understand is how little you understand.

This is my favourite quote of 2011 so far...