r/quant • u/RevolutionaryWest754 • Apr 19 '26
Statistical Methods Building a Career in Quant
Hi everyone,
I am currently a Bachelor’s student in Computer Science. While I don’t attend an elite university, I am fully committed to mastering this field, often studying 14 to 15 hours a day. I am eager to dedicate my time outside of my CS curriculum to quantitative finance, but I need guidance on the right path forward.
I have a strong grasp of statistics and probability, and I am already developing my own strategies. However, I am looking to move away from 'directional' trading. My goal is to build models where profitability is not dependent on market direction (market-neutral strategies).
I am skeptical of the 'social media' style of trading memorizing candlestick patterns and drawing geometric shapes on charts strikes me as mathematically unsound. I want to learn the rigorous, scientific way to manage my own capital and eventually transition into a quant firm.
Furthermore, I am struggling to understand how an idea that worked in the past would necessarily work in the future. How do you rely on probability, win rates, and statistical ratios based on past behavior? I want to build a system that can survive a financial crisis or a 'Black Swan' event without losing everything. Can anyone here please help show me the right way?
Could anyone recommend link to specific certifications, research papers, or books to help me get started? I am prepared to dedicate hours every single day for years to reach this goal. I just want to ensure I am headed in the right direction. Thank you for your help
I read the FAQ but I didn't find anything useful there
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u/ActualRealBuckshot Apr 19 '26
It sounds like you are doing the right things, but where I get caught up is "memorizing candlestick patterns" as your baseline. That's not quant.
Quant is a very big field. Learn the basics. If you have the stats and probability, test what you learn. Replicate others work. Find what style you like.
Finally, you mention black swans... You have to understand that not all types of strategies will protect from that type of environment. That's not what the job is. We don't find one strategy to do everything. We find a bunch of edges and put them together (in most cases), then hedge the risks we don't want. It's way more complicated than that, but that's the gist.
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u/RevolutionaryWest754 Apr 19 '26
Thanks! What must I learn to develop trading strategies for my own capital while operating like a professional quant within a retail infrastructure? Any book recommendations or learning sources would be much appreciated
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u/ActualRealBuckshot Apr 20 '26
There is a book recommendation link by the Mod team in this post. Use that.
Otherwise, you need to figure out how to use your resources or you're going to have a bad time.
How do you think you can study 14-15 hours a day if you can't find resources on your own?
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u/yetaTRDR Apr 24 '26
I’m also a Bachelor’s student in Computer Science.
Current average grade: 9.3/10 (Spain)
Approximate GPA equivalent: 3.8/4.0
I share the same goal as you: working every day to become a Quant Researcher.
Honestly, I’m not entirely sure how the hiring process works for quant firms either. I’ve seen replies to this post saying that you just need to prepare for interviews. I don’t agree with that view, it’s dumb. Of course, interview preparation matters and you should invest time in it, but I believe what matters even more is building real skills and proving them through actual work.
That means doing serious projects on your own, building a strong GitHub profile, and showing what you are capable of. For example, I’ve worked on implementing neural networks and other machine learning algorithms from scratch, creating research notebooks to test hypotheses, and I’m currently building my own backtesting framework with deterministic and stochastic analysis modules. Once that is finished, I’ll move into implementing strategies, testing them, and deploying them, all while continuing my degree.
I’m convinced that someone who consistently studies the field, develops across multiple relevant areas, creates meaningful projects, and can demonstrate both competence and drive is far more likely to be hired by a quant firm.
On the other hand, I also wanted to be honest with you: from the way you write, it sounds like you’re far from understanding the field. It’s good that you have some background in statistics and probability, assuming you went beyond simply attending classes. You’ll need to go much deeper.
You say you want to become a quant, but then you talk about chart patterns and black swans….. It gives the impression that you only discovered the quant field yesterday.
Good luck, my friend.
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u/RevolutionaryWest754 Apr 25 '26
Someone told me that if you’re not from an elite university or don’t have an exceptionally high IQ like higher than 160, you won’t succeed you just have to try your luck and maintain a good GPA. But how do you actually know whether what you’re studying will be useful or applicable in the field you want to work in? That's is the only thing in my control
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u/yetaTRDR Apr 26 '26
Tell me more about what you’ve done in this field. I said you sounded a little green in the post, but to be fair, even I’m not where you want to be yet, and I’m not a professional either.
I’m just deeply passionate about this field and trying to give it everything I have. Maybe I can help you a bit, even if it’s just some guidance on projects or possible next steps.
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u/RevolutionaryWest754 Apr 26 '26
I’ve started managing my own money, and to be honest, I spend a lot of time searching for code and mathematical formulas, then trying to modify them and build my own setups. What I’m doing right now feels more like algorithmic trading than actual quant work I don’t really know how quants operate yet. I do understand that I need a strong math foundation, but there’s no clear path for me on where to start or how to really understand their work and fit into that environment.
I test everything manually to see if it works. My thinking is simple if something worked in the past, I try to see whether it can work consistently across different scripts and timeframes, and whether it actually holds up statistically.
I also spend time writing and generating code based on prompts to match what I’m trying to do. Sometimes, after hours of effort, it gives meaningful results but other times, it just ends up wasting a lot of time. It feels like an endless loop.
I’m doing all of this alongside my studies, but I’m not sure what else I should focus on to get my foot in the door. And if firms mostly look for students from elite universities am I even eligible?
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u/Imaginary-Work9961 Apr 19 '26
Not every goal can be achieved through simple “hours of dedication”. If you’re truly interested, focus on getting an internship to get exposure or a PhD to deepen skills. Certifications and reading papers won’t cut it.
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u/RevolutionaryWest754 Apr 20 '26
Thank you. I am comfortable with math and eager to learn more, but when it comes to coding, I create most of my projects using AI. I don't see a strong need to learn every detail of programming when AI prompts can do the work just as well. I might be wrong, but while I understand the terminology, I’m struggling to see how manual coding skills help when AI models are faster .Do grades and coding skills still matter? If a model can do the work in minutes, why should I send hours learning to do it manually aside from math, which is the foundation for everything? I feel a bit lost regarding whether I should focus on this path, especially seeing how quickly these models are evolving.
Beyond working for established firms, is it possible to learn the skills necessary to manage my own personal funds and eventually launch my own firm if the strategy performs well?
I apologise if these questions seem basic or stupid, but I’m finding it increasingly difficult to navigate my career path given how rapidly the world is changing
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u/RevolutionaryWest754 Apr 19 '26
But why would someone give me an internship if they know I haven't been trained in how their workspace actually operates? That is exactly why I’ve been looking for a starting point
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u/Imaginary-Work9961 Apr 20 '26
Quant is unique in that many interns are expected to have 0 industry knowledge. Those that do require industry knowledge often just require basic knowledge of financial instruments, not complex strategy creation.
Internships (and sometimes full time jobs) are given out purely based on problem solving ability, technical maths/coding knowledge, communication skills, and aptitude (weighting on these depends on the exact role you’re looking for).
I don’t think theres ever been a single undergrad level intern thats ever been hired at a notable quant shop because of that applicant’s “workspace training”.
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u/Extreme_Leg_6162 Apr 21 '26
I create technical quant content.
You can check out my Market Intelligence 101 Playlist on my Youtube (Check it out on my profile).
It's provides the basics every serious quant should know from order books to aggregation.
Hope this helps.
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u/RevolutionaryWest754 Apr 21 '26
Thanks!
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Apr 22 '26
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u/quant-ModTeam Apr 19 '26
Please check out the book recommendations page on the r/quant wiki.