Thanks for the reply. I really do love mathematics. Stanford has a pretty strong Mathematics department (whether it is better than Oxford is yet to be demonstrated....how many Stanford faculty have won the steele prize in recent years? lol) I am sorry to tell you but YOUR statement seems a bit ridiculous. Didn't you realize that posting my question to what I thought would be a professional forum is part of my research? The fact is that I was hired by a trading firm for an entry level position in trading without an Oxford mathematics degree! I assumed that with the Oxford degree, my prospects are better but wanted some input from "professionals" (i can't help but laugh when I use that word on here). I think the prospects are significantly better for me considering the fact that I will be obtaining a masters in both mathematics and the foundations of computer science. Nonetheless, I have been told by a professor I know that Oxford on my resume is "...as good as gold..." as far as employment is concerned. In the least, I am confident that it will serve to get me interviews (which, as i keep saying, is all I really want anyways) I respectfully disagree with your statement that there is NO job market for math masters. I know that when I use job sites like monstertrak.com or careerbuilder.com, many many trading positions require a degree in mathematics or some other physical science (most often the requirement is stated as "...computer science, physics, or mathematics degree with a strong academic record"). The hedge fund positions, I have noticed, almost ALWAYS require an MS in mathematics from a top 10 school. I will soon meet that requirement and see no reason why I wouldn't get interviews for such positions. Of course, other opinions are welcome... Thanks.
Thanks. I can program in C++. I guess only time will tell whether Oxford will help me obtain employment. I'll be sure to let you guys on here know how it turns out Thanks again CandyTrader
Think about the motivations for your professors opinions and then ask him/her for hard evidence supporting their statement. "Good as gold" is like "were number one." The statement means nothing. Ask the professor for a list of masters students references that recently studied under his/her guidance and ask him/her for contact information, which company they went to, their starting salary etc. My bet is you wont get any backup evidence. I know the situation here in the US and on the street. I get literally hundreds of highly qualified people attempting to get the types of jobs you mention and their qualifications dwarf yours. I have a database of nearly 500 applicants for our positions and your background would not make the cut in the current market. Finally, please consider this fact: if you are using this forum for your research you have already demonstrated a flaw: this is not the place to research such questions and the fact that you are putting all this effort and time into this forum only reduces your credibility. I frankly dont believe your writtings and you are now on my ignore list ......
It's funny that you question the motives of my professor....being that he is a professor at New York University and has no affiliation with Oxford (LOL). I have corresponded with many people who graduated from my particular MsC program and every single one is either at Princeton doing a PhD, teaching at Waterloo College in Canada, or working in quantum computing research. It appears as if everyone that has graduated from my program has decided not to enter the private sector. The only ground on which the 500 applicants' qualifications can dwarf my own qualifications, i imagine, is in the area of experience and perhaps the focus of their graduate studies being more pertinent to the position applied for. Clearly, upon graduation from Oxford, I will have to settle for an entry level position in trading and am just hoping that a firm will give me that opportunity with salary. After a few years of working in the industry, I am sure my application will become quite competitive with the other applicants you mention (that is, if i can believe a single word you yourself have said). In this tough job market, it is probably even more important to let one's resume shine in the brightest light possible. I think Oxford will provide for a nice shine that will at least inspire recruiters to set up interviews with me. Like I have said all along, I am going to Oxford more for personal reasons than for job opportunities. My reason for posting here was to find out how marketable an Oxford degree would be. According to you, not very marketable at all. For my sake, I hope you are wrong... It is true that I have spent a lot of time on this forum but it is only because I have a lot of free time as I sort things out with Oxford. The time spent here is obviously of a recreational nature (though when I originally posted my question, I didn't expect it to be) since much of the information has not been very informative. Nonetheless, I thank you for your response and value your ideas on the matter. It appears as if GOD is the only entity whose existence depends on belief by the masses......I got into Oxford and that will remain fact whether the majority of the people on here believe it or not. If you are willing to stake your trading career on the truth of my statements, then do it. I assure you that the market will give you a bumpy ride this year if you do, however. And by the way, you know very well that putting me on your ignore list is unnecessary (did i send you a single direct message?). Unjustifiable wrongs are always made right.....you must know that fundamental law of the universe right? Obeisantly,
What's so amazing about this and other posts I've seen from you is that it's clear that you've already made up your mind what the answer is to your original question, and that you're only looking for confirming responses from ET members. Even when people who apparently know what they are talking about tell you flatly that an Oxford degree will not help you, you automatically discount their opinions and dismiss them as unknowledgeable, jealous, or spiteful. This kind of selective acknowledgement therefore begs the question -- why post this thread in the first place? If you're not willing to accept humbly (and I use that word as sarcastically as possible) what people have to say, then you shouldn't be posting on a publc forum a question that's bound to receive a full spectrum of responses. If you've taken the time to read through other threads in this forum, you'll find that except for the occasional wisecracks, people here are actually genuinely helpful, even in the Career Trader section (where, incidentally, you still didn't realize you should've posted your second thread). ET isn't a paid service, it's a free public message board, so you can't be offended by the wrath that your post can incite. You're clearly proud of what you've accomplished academically, particularly from humble beginnings, and you should be proud. However, being proud doesn't mean throwing your accomplishments repeatedly in people's faces; that's just being insecure. Hey, my parents immigrated from a third world country right before I was born, and I got a BS from MIT and an MBA from Stanford, but until this post I never found it necessary to martial my academic credentials out every time I posted (if I get wisecracks now for mentioning it, so be it). But you've managed to mention "Oxford" so many times that it would be easier to just make it part of your tagline ("Future Oxford graduate, which I hear is as good as gold, and, according to my boss, the best trader intern to have never made money!"). I shudder to think how often you bring up your accomplishments in normal conversation. You're obviously young, and you've managed to be successful at school. But, as many people in the workforce will attest, success in the workplace is an entirely different thing (sorry, but internships just don't count -- the responsibilities given to you just don't compare), and success on the trading floor is probably on the extreme edge. Academics is structured, linear, and rational, where the brightest continue upward. Trading, on the other hand, can be unstructured, discontinuous, and often irrational, where success can be fleeting and even the brightest can see there lives ruined rather arbitrarily. It takes a thick skin (which you clearly don't have) and not a thick skull (which you definitely have). Take the replies and move on dude. You've used up way too much brain cycles and ET hard disk space trying to hold your ground.
Our friend FF suffers from a big inferiority complex, due to his humble background. It will still take some time before he realizes that inner peace can't be achieved by piling academic degrees or dollars on a bank account.
I agree with ya on the part about academic degrees... but I am strugglin' to agree with ya on the $$cachingos$$ part... but I see where ya coming from and it makes sense...
Excellent post...excellent. I highly recommend FP print out this post...take it to Oxford with him... re-read it once or twice prior to going to any social gatherings (parties, dinners or whatever)... it will help prevent uncomfortable moments and probably make him a few more friends... excellent post. NihabaAshi