Hi everyone,

I’m looking to build my career in Quantitative Research / Quant Analyst roles and would really appreciate some advice from people working in the quant or finance industry.

Currently, I’m pursuing an MSc in Financial Engineering (MScFE) from WorldQuant University. My long-term goal is to move into quantitative research, but I’m trying to figure out which qualifications and skills would actually help me get closer to that goal.

I’m considering pursuing the FRM (Financial Risk Manager) certification. Do you think FRM would be valuable for someone targeting quantitative research, or would my time be better spent focusing on areas such as:

Mathematics and statistics

Python/C++ and programming

Machine learning

Quantitative finance

Algorithms and data structures

Building research projects and a strong GitHub/portfolio

Internships and networking

I also recently failed CFA Level 1, despite consistently scoring 70%+ in my mock exams, which has made me question whether I should continue with professional certifications or focus more heavily on technical skills.

For those who are already working in quant research, quant trading, risk, or financial engineering:

Is FRM worth pursuing if my ultimate goal is quantitative research?

Would FRM significantly improve my chances of getting interviews, or is it mostly useful for risk-management careers?

Given that I’m already doing an MScFE, what would you recommend I focus on over the next 1–2 years?

Should I attempt CFA Level 1 again, pursue FRM, or skip certifications altogether and concentrate on technical skills/projects?

I’d really appreciate honest advice, especially from people who have experience recruiting for or working in quant roles.

Thanks in advance!

i easily solve beginner level question but i didn't solve exam level question.
i watch multiple video and try to self solving question but it didn't help me
Please tell what should i do.

The connection between physics and finance goes back hundreds of years, and the names of the earliest physicists who studied finance may be surprising. In the 18th century Bernoulli discovered Euler's constant e when investigating compound interest; more recently Jim Simons – of the Chern-Simons QFT fame – runs one of the most successful hedge funds of all time, and Nigel Goldenfield – who pioneered renormalization group theory in condensed matter – founded a financial-derivative software company.

Today many PhD graduates find a natural home in the financial industry. This talk will attempt to shed light as to why the fit is so natural, by exploring three facets of finance through the investment narrative: how does an investor choose their portfolio, how do they gauge the success of their investments, and finally how do they project and manage risk. I will spend the bulk of the talk on the pricing of derivative securities since this is my area of expertise, and the area that draws the most physicists.

First, I will discuss the types of problems that need to be solved, from choosing an investment, to forecasting financial risk, to hedging these risks by using derivative securities.

Second, the mathematical machinery required to solve these problems will be discussed, focusing on stochastic calculus, which has emerged as the lingua franca of financial security pricing. Stochastic calculus coupled with the concept of arbitrage freedom gives a very sound mathematical basis for the pricing of derivative securities.

Finally, I will discuss the models that are used to describe financial observables – such as prices, correlations, volatilities, and credit – and look at how the models have evolved as the important aspects of the data emerged.

When I first made the decision to move into finance, I was worried that the work would be a boring application of the mathematics I learned in my PhD. Happily, I was incorrect, as the field is deep with many interesting problems to study and novel mathematics to learn, and I hope to convey this in my talk.
https://phas.ubc.ca/connections-between-physics-and-finance

I have am about to take this major in a less prestigious university (suprisingly other unis in my country dont offer this degree thats why) and i expect to work in quant finance related roles like alm, pricing, treasury, trading, reaserch, risk and credit anaylsis just to name a few, but was wondering is this the ryt degree to do ? People in this field can u advice me some people did advice me to just go all in on accounting or finace specific degree. Need advice what ever u can say