James
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Registered: 1st Jun 02
Location: Surrey
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How highly regarded are these in comparison to a masters degree?
I'd like to do a masters degree but it's in quite a quantitative subject and I don't have a particulary quantitative background. The university has recommended that I do the equivalent graduate diploma first.
I'm not sure if they are seen as a bit "mickey mouse" or not?
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JM_16v
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Registered: 17th Oct 05
Location: Essex Drives: GLC63S
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Fads just completed his Graduate Dimploma
tbh its just the same a degree im not sure if people realise this thou
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Paul_J
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Registered: 6th Jun 02
Location: London
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Are you trying to become a Quant trader James?
Whenever I see jobs on http://www.quantfinancejobs.com/ I'm so envious of how much they all get paid 
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James
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Registered: 1st Jun 02
Location: Surrey
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quote:
Originally posted by Paul_J
Are you trying to become a Quant trader James?
Whenever I see jobs on http://www.quantfinancejobs.com/ I'm so envious of how much they all get paid
Nah, you need a PhD for that. Just want to learn more about financial engineering and perhaps move to a risk analyst type role.
[Edited on 09-03-2011 by James]
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Ian
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Registered: 28th Aug 99
Location: Liverpool
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quote:
Originally posted by James
I'm not sure if they are seen as a bit "mickey mouse" or not?
As with anything like that, the two major defining factors are whether you will actually upskill while doing it and whether employers will value them.
The former is a judgement about the course itself and the latter is an even tougher call but not a complete unknown if you're able to canvas the job market or see if they've worked for other people.
Did the uni offer any progression stats to substantiate the value of the other course? If they can't do that then you may also have a better case for being considered for the actual one you want.
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James
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Registered: 1st Jun 02
Location: Surrey
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Well the entry requirements for the MSc includes an undergraduate degree in a highly quantitative subject such as maths, physics or finance. My undergraduate degree is IT, and it's a not a very quantitative IT degree either.
I don't think the qualification itself is specifically looked for within industry but the topics you learn are highly sought after for the roles I'm interested in.
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Paul_J
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Registered: 6th Jun 02
Location: London
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Do you work front office or back office at the moment James?
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James
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Registered: 1st Jun 02
Location: Surrey
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quote:
Originally posted by Paul_J
Do you work front office or back office at the moment James?
Front.
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Paul_J
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Registered: 6th Jun 02
Location: London
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Nice, when did you manage that?
What do you think, about all the job adverts for .net devs / silverlight devs at hedge funds / investment houses / etc at the moment?
Are they bullshit? Or genuine?
I fancy a change of scenery soon, and £45-£60k in london would suit me quite nicely.
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Fad
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Registered: 1st Feb 01
Location: Dartford Kent Drives: 330cd
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quote:
Originally posted by JM_16v
Fads just completed his Graduate Dimploma
tbh its just the same a degree im not sure if people realise this thou
Not finished yet....June
I would say its regarded as much as a masters as long as its got accredited backing like mine is RICS accredited.
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James
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Registered: 1st Jun 02
Location: Surrey
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quote:
Originally posted by Paul_J
Nice, when did you manage that?
What do you think, about all the job adverts for .net devs / silverlight devs at hedge funds / investment houses / etc at the moment?
Are they bullshit? Or genuine?
I fancy a change of scenery soon, and £45-£60k in london would suit me quite nicely.
I'm a front office development team leader now. Moved to front office about 18 months ago and things have moved pretty quickly since then.
Those jobs are probably genuine. Q1 is a good time to look for banking roles as everyone waits for their bonus and then moves on. Working in a hedge fund will be hard work. Most basic hours are 8-6 and you very rarely just do the basic hours. But a decent fund will give you at least a 50% bonus if you are any good. Plus the teams will be a lot smaller compared to a bank so you will be expected to pick up the crap tasks as well as the interesting ones. You might struggle to move straight into front office if you dont have much banking\trading knowledge/experience.
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Paul_J
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Registered: 6th Jun 02
Location: London
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Do you get 50% bonus' James?
And you still live at home? 
Well done though.
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James
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Registered: 1st Jun 02
Location: Surrey
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P.s. Banking contract rates for good senior devs with specific asset class knowledge are starting to hit the £700 mark again now which, according to the contractor calculator website, brings in about £8k a month after tax.
Something to aspire to!
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James
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Registered: 1st Jun 02
Location: Surrey
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quote:
Originally posted by Paul_J
Do you get 50% bonus' James?
And you still live at home?
Well done though.
Nope but I don't work for a hedge fund....
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JM_16v
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Registered: 17th Oct 05
Location: Essex Drives: GLC63S
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quote:
Originally posted by Fad
quote:
Originally posted by JM_16v
Fads just completed his Graduate Dimploma
tbh its just the same a degree im not sure if people realise this thou
Not finished yet....June
I would say its regarded as much as a masters as long as its got accredited backing like mine is RICS accredited.
is it? isnt it just the equvilant to have another degree really.
your finish it soon bud 
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