how to become a Quant?

[Newcomer]

Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum and the Quant community to start with. I just found recently about this field and I am completely excited.

I am about to finish my PhD in Electrical Engineering with a major in Electromagnetics (Physics) and Digital Signal Processing (DSP) . I do not mind taking the GRE again to get a perfect score if that will help me get into the field. I am not fluent with Finance concepts but I will say I am a beginner.

Do I need to take a MFE to get into the field? also what else will I need to get there? do I really have to graduate from a top school to get a chance in the field? I went to University of Illinois at Chicago for my PhD and it is a decent school not top tier of course, is this a limiting factor for me. My GPA is 3.7 for PhD and 3.9 for Masters and 3.5 for B.sc. I have a very strong mathematical background as well as good programming experience since these are all tools one needs for EE.

I also have about 6 years experience in Semiconductor/wireless industry with Motorola/Freescale and Skyworks, and of course I am still working. Is it going to take a lot of work for me do the transition?

Also I currently live in CA, do I have to move to NYC to get a chance in the field?

Too many questions I guess, but that what I call myself Newcomer.

Thanks everyone! Your replies and comments are appreciated.

[foquant]

quickest 10,000 ft overview I would attribute to this link:
http://www.markjoshi.com/downloads/advice.pdf

although there are many others (including some linked to on this site, ie via Andy's signature), and I believe DominiConnor (sp?) has one that is either published or soon to be.

Lot of info out there on where to start. Slow, drudging, but best way, in my opinion, is to review the recommended book list and just start reading. Your interests will develop as topics are introduced to you, and then you'll know what to look for to get more detailed or specialized knowledge.

[DominiConnor]

You do have to leave CA, although there are roles on the West Coast, the ratio of entry level people to jobs is truly bad.

Why not start on our reading list, and see how this line of work suits you before making any decisions.

[Newcomer]

DominiConnor this is what I have in mind. I want to see if this line of work is for me or not. I am excited about the field, yet I still have to do my home work. Thanks for the tip.

foquant, thanks for the reply. This link was very useful. Thanks again.

[Andy]

The master reading list foquant referred to is Master list of useful Quantitative Finance books - Quantnet.org - Financial Engineering Forum (http://www.quantnet.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1336)

[Andy]

Sunny
Nothing in your post indicates MFE is what you want. You probably want to do CFA. If you want to do PhD, then look at this list of programs FE ph.d program? - Quantnet.org - Financial Engineering Forum (http://www.quantnet.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1674)