Quote from alfonso: You'd better off putting your questions to vault.com. Sure, they're just as quick to descend on you if you ask something they consider dumb..... I think this forum is a 12-step Christian support group compared to Vault.com. (I had a fun experience there a couple of years ago, when I was in highschool), but there's also people that are actually in the industry that are willing to offer some pretty good insights. Everyone has "fun" there..........probably because everyone's in high school (or so it appears). From time to time, some worthwhile stuff gets posted but, personally, I'd tend to take the advice of the Iraqi Information Minister over anyone who posts on that board (even if he does happen to be dead).
oooh - I emplyed one of these guys over the summer last year, it was his turn to get the bacon sandwiches, in fact it was his turn everytime to get those bacon butties in, but this time he refused. "I didn't spend 4 years at Oxford gettin a masters to do this" was his reply, we wouldn't have asked him if he was any better at doing anything else - having employed him over the summer I assumed he could price basic vanilla options, dividend yield or price a basic bond, but no, he had trouble with excel spreadsheets!! indeed - never again. I'd suggest taking your Computer skills (C++, VB) and learnin the game for a couple of years, thats the best way in in my opinion - via a semi quant/ programmer role, my floor is full of them and the ones that survived always got the bacon sarnies in.
Well said Brother Kap... you've nailed the key issue, and I am totally with you on this... too many fuckwits seem to be resting on their Ivy-league laurels these days... the only corporate Ivy-leaguers who thrive are those who transform their academic excellence to practical excellence in the workfloor... otherwise they are simply a waste of space...
I love this thread....got C grades in high school...joined the MarineCorps for a four year stint...attended a 2 year community college. Oxford . You should have taken all of your student loan money and went to the school of trading hard knocks.
FreedomPhighter, Judging by a sampling of the responses you got to your initial question, it would appear that several respondents have a chip on their shoulder (of the buffalo variety or otherwise). Please keep in mind that most folks are just "wannabe" traders. They may actually trade, but few will actually show you their account balances. I suspect that most of the lemons have come from their side of the room. I'm not a profitable trader (or even a trader at all, by some standards), but I have no lemons for you. Get your world-class education. One way or another, it will serve you well in life. The markets will be here when you get back. Your Oxford credentials will give you more options than most people here have. Certainly, a formal education is not everything, particularly in trading, but don't make the mistake of listening to people who can only elevate themselves by stepping on others. Good luck! Regards, Thunderdog
Go work for IB's parent company doing this stuff for a few years and once you have some professional background you might be able to come work for us ........ Like the rest of the thread has said, and I also stated earlier, the degree is less important than the experience. If you must go study for a few more years then do it: get it out of your system and come back to the table ready to go to work ....
This is what we are debating (at least what I am)... there are better options than Oxford... and as for your assertion that none of us have Ivy-league credentials, I know for a fact that you are wrong... my points related to the usefulness of an Oxford math masters... this freedomfighter guy has an attitude problem, and has elevated himself to lofty heights on the basis of mere hot air and an acceptance slip to an Oxford math masters... this is what nags us here at ET... if he truly was that remarkable, he should have gone somewhere better than Oxford... I aint anti-elitist by any stretch of the imagination... Go back and read Kap's contributions... he kinda summed it up well, in practical terms...