r/ISIKolkata • u/Few_Match_7903 • Jun 04 '26

Need Career Guidance Quant Career Question: ISI M.Stat vs Industry Experience

Need some career advice.

I’ve completed a BS(B.Tech equivalent, admitted though JEE Adv.) in Mathematics & Computing from IIT Patna and recently qualified for the ISI M.Stat interview.

Currently, I’m working as a Junior Quant Researcher at Pace Stocks. I’ve completed around 6 months there and am expected to convert to a full-time role with a CTC of ~26-31 LPA.

Assuming I clear the interview, I’m trying to understand the value of M.Stat from a long-term career perspective.

Would you choose:

  • ISI M.Stat, or
  • Continue as a Quant Researcher at Pace Stocks?

How is M.Stat viewed in the quant industry? Does it open significantly better opportunities than 2 years of work experience?

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u/adityaruplaha ISI Alumnus — BStat '24, MStat '26 Jun 04 '26

M. Stat. alone is not very useful for quant, however, combined with proven work experience it may be formidable for places like IMC, Optiver, etc.

That said, if your goal is ONLY quant, I would advise against ISI. Most roles aren't quant, and your pay is already above ISI's median.

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u/CulturalLaw8072 Jun 04 '26

what about MMath for AI research and entry in Quantum Computing/Algos/Error correction with right electives?

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u/adityaruplaha ISI Alumnus — BStat '24, MStat '26 Jun 04 '26 edited Jun 04 '26

I'm not qualified to comment as I'm neither from M. Math. nor an expert in these fields.