The industries you'd work in are corrupt.
They are headed up by incompetent, selfish criminals.
Your co-workers will be DB frat boys with their hats on backwards.
And no matter how awesome your math skills, it is more important to pucker up and kiss some middle-aged schmoes ass.
Do not major in finance.
He is mad he does not know how to network, and pull a high GPA.
ReplyDelete\ Kappa /
Business, economics, and other such generic degrees are equally poor. They've been bad since at least 2006, when the insiders knew that things were about to crash.
ReplyDeleteI despise finance for either being fraudulent (on many levels/sides), or being something a stupid computer could crank out. Accounting is infinitely more practical, or actuarial science.
I literally could not agree more. I wish I had found such information years ago when I started college. I was incredibly fortunate to discover 'Worthless' over winter break last year after having been rejected for yet another internship (3.8 GPA finance major, passionate about the field, and really wanted to build a career there). I couldn't understand why it was so hard, but 'Worthless' made it all clear to me. I ditched finance for the greener pastures of accounting and haven't looked back. Graduating this spring with a far better major and far better prospects.
ReplyDeleteCaptain, without us ever having met in person you saved me from a career in insurance sales. Don't ever doubt that you're having an impact.
As a current b-school student, here's what all the majors are:
ReplyDeleteAccounting: The only legitimate people in the entire school. All the good people, both men and women are here.
Finance: Useless men
HR: Useless women
Marketing: See HR
Here's what the bulk of the people in the majors are:
ReplyDeleteAccounting: The only good people, both male and female are found here
Finance: Useless frat boys
HR: Useless women
Marketing: See HR
Here's what the bulk of the people in the majors are:
ReplyDeleteAccounting: The only good people, both male and female are found here
Finance: Useless frat boys
HR: Useless women
Marketing: See HR
For once I have to disagree, Captain. I came to a quant shop for a too big to fail bank in late 2010.
ReplyDeleteIt's the first job I've had where I wasn't confident I was the smartest person in the room most of the time.
It's the most challenging programming work I've done; the only standard is "does the desk have numbers to analyze trades when the market opens". Well, there are other standards but they are based on timely and correct numbers not ass kissing.
Of all the places I've worked it is the most geek friendly environment. One of the selling points in the job description was a daily chess puzzle.
Now, there is one thing that might explain why it's different. They wanted physical science, engineering, and mathematics majors. Finances was good too but they weren't big on straight CS majors. No finance experience was required as they were happy to train us in it although we did have to display intermediate competency in one of two programming languages (they were happy to train us in their libraries but you had to know your way around Perl or C++).
One other point which might show a difference is the guy in the cube next to me never finished college. He became a printer and when he realized that was dying became a self taught programmer. He then built a fairly impressive resume doing consulting in the financial world in IT before applying to work with us.
Hah.
ReplyDeleteActually a short course of study in Finance is good, but only once you combine it with something else.
Engineering + Finance knowledge is quite helpful, if only to game the management guys.
well it may be too late for me, I'm European though and I graduated in what I assume is the equivalent of finance. At least I'm not in debt
ReplyDeletewell it may be too late for me, I'm European though and I graduated in what I assume is the equivalent of finance. At least I'm not in debt
ReplyDeleteOver-glorified resumes lead to those less qualified receiving job offers which they are not suitable for. Consistent spurts of short employment with more than one company show an employee who does not know jack about the trade they supposedly claim. Financial analysis is a beast in itself and middle aged men clamining to have the knowledge and don't should go work at burger king.
ReplyDeleteA short study of Finance is good, however, outside of your introduction to finance you really don't need to know much else. The fact is there aren't a lot of positions in the financial world that require the in depth knowledge on MMA (Mergers and Acquisitions) or how to price and act on options or puts. Unless your going to an major east coast univeristy then the likelihood of you working a job that requires that knoweldge is non-existant.
ReplyDeleteAccounting is superior because its needed in every field of industry you can think of. My old man was a CPA and now owns a business in a field that he learned how to work in because he ended up auditing companies in that field and eventually wound up as their CFO.
"X Degree / Major is useless"
ReplyDeleteI know what the problem is, what is the solution if you're holding one?
Go back to school? Pretty sure more of a bad thing is not the answer.