How I Became a Quant: Insights from 25 of Wall Street's Elite

by Richard R. Lindsey

Praise for How I Became a Quant "Led by two top-notch quants, Richard R. Lindsey and Barry Schachter, How I Became a Quant details the quirky world of quantitative analysis through stories told by some of today's most successful quants. For anyone who might have thought otherwise, there are engaging personalities behind all that number crunching!" --Ira Kawaller, Kawaller & Co. and the Kawaller Fund "A fun and fascinating read. This book tells the story of how academics, physicists, mathematicians, and other scientists became professional investors managing billions." --David A. Krell, President and CEO, International Securities Exchange "How I Became a Quant should be must reading for all students with a quantitative aptitude. It provides fascinating examples of the dynamic career opportunities potentially open to anyone with the skills and passion for quantitative analysis." --Roy D. Henriksson, Chief Investment Officer, Advanced Portfolio Management "Quants"--those who design and implement mathematical models for the pricing of derivatives, assessment of risk, or prediction of market movements--are the backbone of today's investment industry. As the greater volatility of current financial markets has driven investors to seek shelter from increasing uncertainty, the quant revolution has given people the opportunity to avoid unwanted financial risk by literally trading it away, or more specifically, paying someone else to take on the unwanted risk. How I Became a Quant reveals the faces behind the quant revolution, offering you?the?chance to learn firsthand what it's like to be a?quant today. In this fascinating collection of Wall Street war stories, more than two dozen quants detail their roots, roles, and contributions, explaining what they do and how they do it, as well as outlining the sometimes unexpected paths they have followed from the halls of academia to the front lines of an investment revolution.

Genres: Finance

400 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 9, 2007

Reviews

[Dipra Lahiri · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I have zero knowledge about arcane financial engineering which rely on doctorates in Math & Physics to devise ever more complicated models to take advantage of market imperfections and make money, I thought it would be interesting to read about the experiences of the top 'quants' in the business. Turns out (unsurprisingly) that all of them were math jocks from an early age, many stumbled upon their profession when they figured that 'pure' Math was not their cup of tea, and that they were passionate about their intellectual quests, probably more than making a hell of a lot of money.

[Brian G. Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aware of my inherently biased opinion of quants, I sought out a book that might sway my (unfair?) predisposition. "Insights" is not really the appropriate word, as most of the "Elite" provided no inner knowledge of the industry; "stories" would have been more fitting. While a few sections were interesting (most notably, AQR Capital Management's Cliff Assness's chapter), overall, it was not what I was looking for.

[Zhitao Fan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains 25 quants' experience to get into this profession. Some of their personal experience is inspiring for job hunting.

[Faisal · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting insights into the world of quant finance. Several sections were poorly written though.