Hello everyone,
I was wondering if anyone could offer me some advice. I'm kind of in limbo as to what to do career-wise.
A little background first..
I graduated in 2002 with a BSc from the University of Toronto, majoring in Actuarial Science and minoring in Applied Statistics. I've always had a general inkling for math and numbers but never really liked studying so I pretty much got through university doing the bare minimum to pass but never really trying to excel. As a result, my grades were not great.
Since then, I've worked in the capital markets industry (hedge fund, then brokerage) doing rudimentary spreadsheet work on excel, while learning how to trade. I've never really applied anything I learned in school onto any job I've had though.
I really haven't had a steady job in a couple of years now and was thinking of applying for a Masters program in Statistics. I know that sounds completely counter-intuitive to everything I just wrote above but I feel as though my quantitative nature should be part of my professional life. With my work background, a job as a quant trader/analyst might be in the cards for me if I were to obtain a graduate degree and learn some programming (of which I know none). Then again, I'm not sure if I'll even like it. I think I'd prefer a career that involved some bit of travelling and not having to sit in front of a computer all day.
I've considered many different avenues. The business analytics field also intrigues me because I've been reading that its the wave of the future and you need a math/stats background to progress.
So, in short:
1) If I were to go back to school, will I even get in to a Masters program with a bad GPA? If I do, will I be able to complete it while admittedly barely remembering anything about what I learned over a decade ago...in courses that I passed, but did not do well in? Or should I take refresher courses (which?) to get up to speed, and improve marks? I'd prefer to start a Masters sooner rather than later obviously, being in my mid-30s.
2) If I were to keep looking for work, what are some options and where? I'm in Toronto right now. I've applied to a few places, with no luck. Perhaps some computer programming languages are what I need to learn. If so, which one would be a good place to start?
Essentially I just want to have an end goal in place so I can figure out how to reach it. The basics are similar to most people, I would assume. Make enough money to not have to worry about it. And enjoy what I do for a living, without it consuming me.
Perhaps if some people share their experiences, job and education-wise, it may help.
Thanks.
I was wondering if anyone could offer me some advice. I'm kind of in limbo as to what to do career-wise.
A little background first..
I graduated in 2002 with a BSc from the University of Toronto, majoring in Actuarial Science and minoring in Applied Statistics. I've always had a general inkling for math and numbers but never really liked studying so I pretty much got through university doing the bare minimum to pass but never really trying to excel. As a result, my grades were not great.
Since then, I've worked in the capital markets industry (hedge fund, then brokerage) doing rudimentary spreadsheet work on excel, while learning how to trade. I've never really applied anything I learned in school onto any job I've had though.
I really haven't had a steady job in a couple of years now and was thinking of applying for a Masters program in Statistics. I know that sounds completely counter-intuitive to everything I just wrote above but I feel as though my quantitative nature should be part of my professional life. With my work background, a job as a quant trader/analyst might be in the cards for me if I were to obtain a graduate degree and learn some programming (of which I know none). Then again, I'm not sure if I'll even like it. I think I'd prefer a career that involved some bit of travelling and not having to sit in front of a computer all day.
I've considered many different avenues. The business analytics field also intrigues me because I've been reading that its the wave of the future and you need a math/stats background to progress.
So, in short:
1) If I were to go back to school, will I even get in to a Masters program with a bad GPA? If I do, will I be able to complete it while admittedly barely remembering anything about what I learned over a decade ago...in courses that I passed, but did not do well in? Or should I take refresher courses (which?) to get up to speed, and improve marks? I'd prefer to start a Masters sooner rather than later obviously, being in my mid-30s.
2) If I were to keep looking for work, what are some options and where? I'm in Toronto right now. I've applied to a few places, with no luck. Perhaps some computer programming languages are what I need to learn. If so, which one would be a good place to start?
Essentially I just want to have an end goal in place so I can figure out how to reach it. The basics are similar to most people, I would assume. Make enough money to not have to worry about it. And enjoy what I do for a living, without it consuming me.
Perhaps if some people share their experiences, job and education-wise, it may help.
Thanks.
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