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I'm currently studying for my undergrad in CS, and considering to do a grad in both CS and Math. I would like to see what you guys would recommend to prepare myself for a field as a Quant. I am specifically interested in Algotrading (algorithmic quant) position. To be able to write models and software to do automated trading. Any suggestions on where to begin? I have no familiarity with trading. Is it possible to setup a practice account and begin doing some trades so I understand how that works?

Thanks!

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    $\begingroup$ Voting to close. This kind of question has been closed in the past. This site is intended for professionals and researchers. See, for instance, meta.quant.stackexchange.com/questions/68/…. $\endgroup$
    – Shane
    Mar 20, 2011 at 23:23

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The best way to do it is by getting an internship as an entry level analyst or some sort. They do not necessary expect you to know computational finance(they will teach you), though you need to be bright, have an outstanding academic record, and of course, good communication skills. As you get in there, you can then ask around about the specifics of what you are looking for. In general, quant positions themselves require you to have Masters, Ph.D, or a lot of experience, so your plan on getting into graduate program may work just fine. In my opinion however, it makes more sense to get a Bachelors degree first, get a job in one of the financial institutions, work there for a couple of years and then come back to pursue your graduate studies. As far as internships go, starting place could be D.E. Shaw, they have summer internships available. Since you have programming background, they might like you. Good Luck!

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  • $\begingroup$ I wish there was a organization or company that would teach everything from the basics of the stock exchange and foreign exchange all the way down to algotrading. Am I just dreaming a pipe? :) $\endgroup$
    – Philoxopher
    Mar 12, 2011 at 22:18
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    $\begingroup$ There's no easy lunch... $\endgroup$
    – SmallChess
    Mar 16, 2011 at 14:30
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Quantivity has three great posts about how to learn algorithmic trading

http://quantivity.wordpress.com/2010/01/10/how-to-learn-algorithmic-trading/ http://quantivity.wordpress.com/2010/01/12/how-to-learn-algorithmic-trading-part-2/ http://quantivity.wordpress.com/2010/01/12/how-to-learn-algorithmic-trading-part-3/

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  • $\begingroup$ Thank you very much, very interesting blog. I'll make sure to stay up to date with it. $\endgroup$
    – Philoxopher
    Mar 12, 2011 at 22:16

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