I got a degree in civil engineering, mostly because my father had also done so. However, after graduating, I had many friends from university that went into finance, so that got me interested in the field. After making that decision, I wanted to learn more about finance, and that was when quant finance came into my life. I found so much literature about it - how to price everything and how to work with risk. There are definitions, assets, and practices that work all over the globe. If you can price one asset here in Brazil, you can also do so in Dubai or anywhere else. This was fascinating to me, and I wanted to go further.
The CQF gave me so much exposure to literature and theoretical knowledge that I was not aware of. It provided so many frameworks for analysis, so now I find that every challenge has a path to its end.
The CQF helped me to bridge the gap between my academic knowledge and what I needed to know in my current position. I work in a position which is between trading and technology, and the CQF gave me so many financial frameworks to solve problems and to think about the trading possibilities. It also taught me the risk frameworks that I use now across our strategies and our desks.
I didn’t start my career in finance, and I do think my background helps in my position, so if you didn’t study finance at university, you definitely still have a place in the markets. I do believe that getting the certification from the CQF puts you ahead of other people in the market. So whatever background you come from, I do recommend the CQF because it will help you bridge the gap.
