Hi Nairalanders,

I am a graduate of Mathematics. I recently got an opportunity to study Msc Financial Mathematics or Msc Information Technology(only one) in Europe. However, I am lost between worlds as to which of the graduate program would sell in Nigeria. What and who are employers looking for?

Caulker I will personally advice u to go for Information technology, as u know they world till eternity will still be advancing in technology.
U going for financial mathematics will only give u ample chance to be a prof in that field, buh u as an Infotech guru u will have a better place in d industry both in oversea and even Naija. U knw Naija coys are so much freak about foreign certificate. Think wise bro

go for I.T

Caulker:
Hi Nairalanders?

I am a graduate of Mathematics. I recently got an opportunity to study Msc Financial Mathematics or Msc Information Technology(only one) in Europe. However, I am lost between worlds as to which of the graduate program would sell in Nigeria. What and who are employers looking for?

Info tech. Financial maths is also very cool and it's very good in the financial institutions.

vislabraye:


Info tech. Financial maths is also very cool and it's very good in the financial institutions.

I dont know, and im not sure but I think the financial industry is bigger than the IT industry in Nigeria and there are too many experts in IT already. Although both are good industries but I feel a career in Finance would get you in almost any company in Nigeria compare to IT where there are many gurus. What do you think?

Caulker:


I dont know, and im not sure but I think the financial industry is bigger than the IT industry in Nigeria and there are too many experts in IT already. Although both are good industries but I feel a career in Finance would get you in almost any company in Nigeria compare to IT where there are many gurus. What do you think?

Financial industry is big just as you said. I would advise you to find out from some one in the financial sector which course is much in demand. (Financial Maths is one of them)

But I unlike most people believe, you must not end up in the academia. People are ignorant about the career paths for a Mathematician. IT is a cool also cos it gives you room for creativity.

Caulker:
Hi Nairalanders?

I am a graduate of Mathematics. I recently got an opportunity to study Msc Financial Mathematics or Msc Information Technology(only one) in Europe. However, I am lost between worlds as to which of the graduate program would sell in Nigeria. What and who are employers looking for?

To get strong answers, you will have to be specific on which part of Europe you've gotten this opportunity. You also have to know the industry you eventually want to be.

Meanwhile, I've your same background and did a master's degree in quant fin-eco. I believe the fact that I had some little industry experience in capital markets before my quant MSc actually helped my job search. I've worked in investment banking and now an assistant vice president in a related sector. I don't work in Nigeria.

In your shoes, I would do quant finance. The material covered in Info Tech can be picked easily without the need for master's education. Many people without university degrees, or with university degrees unrelated to IT, are now IT experts and have consistently proven that you need no IT background to work in core IT. The same is not true for quant fin. Now take the two sets and see which is bigger.

To be frank with you, there is no traditional quant fin role in Nigeria as the material covered in a typical quant fin course is hardly implemented in Nigeria's financial services industry. Maybe risk management sha, but that's about it.

Finally, I would not restrict my choice to a course that is lucrative in Nigeria. I would study that which could make me competitive elsewhere. I would study a course that is related to the industry I want to be.

tanimola22:


To get strong answers, you will have to be specific on which part of Europe you've gotten this opportunity. You also have to know the industry you eventually want to be.

Meanwhile, I've your same background and did a master's degree in quant fin-eco. I believe the fact that I had some little industry experience in capital markets before my quant MSc actually helped my job search. I've worked in investment banking and now an assistant vice president in a related sector. I don't work in Nigeria.

In your shoes, I would do quant finance. The material covered in Info Tech can be picked easily without the need for master's education. Many people without university degrees, or with university degrees unrelated to IT, are now IT experts and have consistently proven that you need no IT background to work in core IT. The same is not true for quant fin. Now take the two sets and see which is bigger.

To be frank with you, there is no traditional quant fin role in Nigeria as the material covered in a typical quant fin course is hardly implemented in Nigeria's financial services industry. Maybe risk management sha, but that's about it.

Finally, I would not restrict my choice to a course that is lucrative in Nigeria. I would study that which could make me competitive elsewhere. I would study a course that is related to the industry I want to be.

Thank you for your advice,
I got both offers in the UK, the financial industry is one that really excites me compared to IT. However, I don't have relevant experience in the industry hence the need for an MSc programme.

The materials covered in this quant programme include Corporate and International Finance, Financial and Time Series Econometrics, Financial computing with MATLAB, Financial Mathematics, Financial Invest & Corp Risk Analysis, Mathematical Models in Finance and Industry, Topics in Financial Risk Analysis and Financial Portfolio Analysis. Are all this modules not 'hardly implemented' in Nigeria's Financial services industry?

In regards to studying what would make me competitive elsewhere, I am of the opinion that your nationality would serve as a disadvantage elsewhere when looking for a job(your advice/opinion would also be appreciated here).

See full advice below..Clicked sent in error

tanimola22:


Yes, work permit has always been an issue, didn't start today, but top firms overseas have not stopped hiring non citizens. No one said study a course that would make you as competitive as/ more competitive than citizens of a foreign country who studied the same course and has a similar level of talents like you. What I'm saying is that you should study a course that is panoramically competitive.

I won't pay such a huge amount of money to study in the UK, except of course the school is top. There are programmes in quant fin elsewhere in Europe where you pay less than 1000 pounds equivalent and still enjoy the benefits of applying to companies in those countries and also in the UK. Search for quant fin/quant economics programmes in Germany, France and elsewhere in Europe where fees are low. Save the extra 11000 pounds that you would have spent studying in the UK. Jena in Germany has a programme in business mathematics that charges about 500 pounds per year. There are many programmes like that, and you stand a good chance of acceptance if your BSc degree is above average.

Thank you very much for your advice. I would research more on this

Caulker:


Thank you for your advice,
I got both offers in the UK, the financial industry is one that really excites me compared to IT. However, I don't have relevant experience in the industry hence the need for an MSc programme.

The materials covered in this quant programme include Corporate and International Finance, Financial and Time Series Econometrics, Financial computing with MATLAB, Financial Mathematics, Financial Invest & Corp Risk Analysis, Mathematical Models in Finance and Industry, Topics in Financial Risk Analysis and Financial Portfolio Analysis. Are all this modules not 'hardly implemented' in Nigeria's Financial services industry?

In regards to studying what would make me competitive elsewhere, I am of the opinion that your nationality would serve as a disadvantage elsewhere when looking for a job(your advice/opinion would also be appreciated here).

Yes, work permit has always been an issue, didn't start today, but top firms overseas have not stopped hiring non citizens. No one said study a course that would make you as competitive as/ more competitive than citizens of a foreign country who studied the same course and has a similar level of talents like you. What I'm saying is that you should study a course that is panoramically competitive.

I won't pay such a huge amount of money to study in the UK, except of course the school is top. There are programmes in quant finance elsewhere in Europe where you pay less than 1000 pounds equivalent and still enjoy the benefits of applying to companies in those countries and also in the UK. My chick friend completed a PhD in an area of quant finance at school in Germany and interviewed for a quant finance role at JP Morgan London..Do you know how many UK schooled applicants passed up for her sake..

Search for quant fin/quant economics programmes in Germany, France and elsewhere in Europe where fees are low. Save the extra 11000 pounds that you would have spent studying in the UK. Jena in Germany has a programme in business mathematics that charges about 500 pounds per year. There are many programmes like that, and you stand a good chance of acceptance if your BSc degree is above average.

Finally, core quant finance modules are very quantitative and hardly implemented in Nigeria, save for the caveat I earlier gave. General corporate finance and portfolio management are not core quant finance stuff. Anyone with a CFA, CIS, MSc finance can comfortably do them as they are done in Nigeria. As the financial industry in Nigeria currently stands, anyone with a quant finance degree won't be more useful than someone with a CFA/CIS /MSc finance because the type of finance done in Nigeria is adequately covered in these programmes...

If you can, don't spend too much on getting a foreign degree from a foreign university except such university is very top class..For instance, I will personally push somebody, anybody to do the quant finance programmes at Hass, GSB and Princeton or even Cambridge/Oxford/maybe Imperial..That's about it....Good luck in any choice you make

tanimola22:

I hail o.

Make I quickly 'follow' you because I'm sure I would need your help on NL one day.

Caulker, Information Technology will be the best option for you. You have a brigther future with that.

sholay2011:

I hail o.

Make I quickly 'follow' you because I'm sure I would need your help on NL one day.

Right, no problems.

Caulker:


I dont know, and im not sure but I think the financial industry is bigger than the IT industry in Nigeria and there are too many experts in IT already. Although both are good industries but I feel a career in Finance would get you in almost any company in Nigeria compare to IT where there are many gurus. What do you think?

Yea I agree,I don't really know much but its like the younger generation don't pay more attention to the financial industry



I guess d dough ain't circulating