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Job outlook for quantitative analysts in the United States
Are quantitative analyst jobs in demand?
Quantitative analyst job and salary trends over time
Quantitative analyst jobs over time
Quantitative analyst job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3,055 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 2,085 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 2,050 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 3,205 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 3,079 | 0.00% |
Average quantitative analyst salary over time
Quantitative analyst salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $101,197 | $48.65 | +2.6% |
| 2024 | $98,607 | $47.41 | +1.7% |
| 2023 | $96,990 | $46.63 | +1.6% |
| 2022 | $95,450 | $45.89 | +3.1% |
| 2021 | $92,574 | $44.51 | +1.8% |
Quantitative analyst jobs by state
Most common states for quantitative analysts
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 304 | 44% |
| 2 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 932 | 11% |
| 3 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 578 | 10% |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 590 | 9% |
| 5 | New York | 19,849,399 | 1,305 | 7% |
| 6 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 374 | 7% |
| 7 | Delaware | 961,939 | 71 | 7% |
| 8 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 825 | 6% |
| 9 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 350 | 6% |
| 10 | California | 39,536,653 | 1,907 | 5% |
| 11 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 536 | 5% |
| 12 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 487 | 5% |
| 13 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 412 | 5% |
| 14 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 371 | 5% |
| 15 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 351 | 5% |
| 16 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 217 | 5% |
| 17 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 174 | 5% |
| 18 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 154 | 5% |
| 19 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 49 | 5% |
| 20 | Vermont | 623,657 | 29 | 5% |
Most common cities for quantitative analysts
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Annapolis | 4 | 10% | $97,091 |
| 2 | Lansing | 4 | 3% | $92,161 |
| 3 | Washington | 11 | 2% | $95,923 |
| 4 | Atlanta | 8 | 2% | $80,542 |
| 5 | Baton Rouge | 4 | 2% | $75,249 |
| 6 | Des Moines | 4 | 2% | $77,377 |
| 7 | Jersey City | 4 | 2% | $105,659 |
| 8 | Hartford | 3 | 2% | $105,666 |
| 9 | Little Rock | 3 | 2% | $71,150 |
| 10 | Chicago | 14 | 1% | $81,319 |
| 11 | Boston | 10 | 1% | $99,848 |
| 12 | Baltimore | 6 | 1% | $97,275 |
| 13 | Denver | 4 | 1% | $71,298 |
| 14 | Minneapolis | 3 | 1% | $85,023 |
| 15 | Montgomery | 3 | 1% | $81,562 |
| 16 | New York | 14 | 0% | $116,491 |
| 17 | Dallas | 4 | 0% | $83,379 |
Quantitative Analyst job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of quantitative analyst experts
Manhattan College
University of Akron
University of Oregon
King's College
American University
University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
Pacific Lutheran University
University of Nebraska - Omaha
Texas A&M University–Central Texas
NYU Stern School of Business
Kean University
William Paterson University of New Jersey
James Madison University
Western Washington University
University of Washington
California State University - Stanislaus
What general advice would you give to a Quantitative Analyst?
Dr. Natalia Boliari PhD: First, learn everything about the company you just started working for - its historical path, management, the way it's dealt with crises, etc. Second, learn everything about the specific industry the company belongs to and see how the company has developed relative to the development of the industry domestically and internationally. Third, always be extremely alert to notice new opportunities and be prepared to take calculated risks. That is, actively look for opportunities to complete as many and diverse tasks as possible, and volunteer to complete any type of work regardless of whether it seems relevant to your assigned job or not. Opportunities to learn, grow, and improve and thus to maximize your income, will only come up if you are exposed to diverse situations.
What Quantitative Analyst skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Natalia Boliari PhD: Be open minded. Finance is the broad definition of an industry which provides opportunities for careers in financial consultancy, financial analysis, stock brokerage, foreign investment, modeling, exchange rate forecasts, and many more. While most of those careers are attributed to the banking industry, you can find those and others in other sectors of the economy, such as insurance, technology, health care/medical, government, and so on. So, be open and look beyond the banking sector, examine the current and predicted trends in the economy to hunt for exciting career options.
What will help Quantitative Analysts increase their earning potential?
Clemens Kownatzki PhD, MBA: As a beginner in any field, it pays to listen more than to talk. Be humble, pay attention, be nice to folks and probably most helpful is having a mentor who can guide you along and show you some best practices for navigating your career. You should take advantage of your education, not just to show a piece of paper that says you graduated but think of every single project, essay or paper that you write as part of a portfolio that demonstrates your skill sets. Especially in finance where we can sometimes be enamored with the beauty of a mathematical model, think about how any model should be applied in the real world. In some cases that might mean that you have to “get your hands on the wheel and learn how to drive.” I am not suggesting that you should put all your savings at risk and buy the next iteration of the latest cryptocurrency, but If you’re interested in a career in investing, put a small amount of money at risk and trade a stock, or if you must trade a few dollars’ worth of Bitcoin or Ether – as much as you would risk for a movie ticket seems reasonable. There are lots of virtual trading apps where you can trade with paper money, but there’s nothing like understanding risk when your own dollars are at stake, even if it’s just a few dollars. You should also absorb all the workshops, seminars and resources available out there. Follow Prof. Aswath Damodaran who has a YouTube Channel and hundreds of spreadsheets with financial models, all for free! Also follow some good content providers on various channels to get additional insights – in the field of finance, you need to be up-to-date on all events because those influence markets and the economy. Be ready to continue learning and update your skills and understanding while you’re working. Education doesn’t end after you finish your degree. All successful people are life-long learners.
What will help Quantitative Analysts increase their earning potential?
Eric Brisker Ph.D.: Focusing on developing skills in communication, networking, social skills, analytical skills, financial knowledge, and obtaining professional certifications can help maximize salary potential in the finance industry. Developing these skills and following the advice provided can lead to opportunities for higher salaries.
Z. Jay Wang
Department Head, Associate Professor of FinanceUniversity of Oregon
Finance And Financial Management Services
What will help Quantitative Analysts increase their earning potential?
Z. Jay Wang: Students who have a history of doing work in the field outside the classroom either through internships, industry projects, or school-sponsored clubs managing financial decisions are better poised to maximize starting salary potential. Starting early to secure internships with top companies will also position students well for higher earning potential. Most top banks and firms will post internships from April/May to August, and close by the end of September for the following summer. They are also rolling, so may fill the roles by as early as June of the sophomore year for the following summer after junior year. Finally, networking with industry and alumni professionals in the companies, firms, banks prior to applying for an internship or full-time position will have an impact. The candidate will learn more about the opportunity and company culture for their resume and potential interview, and most top companies in finance will have a referral program. If the candidate impresses the internal connection with excellent questions and strategic answers, they may get a referral that moves them up in the stacks of applicants.
Peter Ibbott
Associate Professor of EconomicsKing's College
Economics
What Quantitative Analyst skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Peter Ibbott: Optimizing your LinkedIn profile and CV are the most basic steps to increase salary potential at the start of your career. For students who do not have the grades to pursue graduate or professional studies, there is another path for post-graduate acquisition of valuable career focussed skills. Most universities offer post-graduate diploma programs through their schools of continuing studies. Community colleges also offer similar post-graduate diploma programs aimed at providing industry certification and essential career oriented skill development. These programs can open doors to more specialized and lucrative careers in business and finance.
Octavian Ionici PhD
Sr. Lecturer in FinanceAmerican University
Finance And Financial Management Services
What Quantitative Analyst skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Octavian Ionici PhD: The finance profession is lucrative, rewarding and very competitive. Graduates should do their research about the organization they are interviewing with and be able to discuss how their skills can contribute to the business. They should also know if they would rather interact with people and clients or if they are drawn to intellectual pursuits such as analysis. Do they value power, prestige status, risk, or something else? Ultimately our core values, personal goals, interests, aptitudes, and personality will shape our career paths.
Being able to articulate what sparked their interest in the financial field and why they are interested in a chosen role will be an advantage during the hiring process. While still in college, students should join a professional association like the Financial Management Association to give them more access to that broad network, as well as access to career development resources that can set them apart from the crowd.
It's also critical to get an internship (paid or unpaid) in order to show some real-life experience. They can do this while they are still in college, during the summers, or even afterwards, to get a foot in the door.
Reading the WSJ and FT daily, and listening to Bloomberg, or other financial programs as a regular practice will help them to have fluency in the language of our profession. Because the finance sector is heavily regulated and changes occur due to changing economic and political conditions, they will need to stay updated with those changes. Financial media sources will help bring them that context to stay up to date on all of these moving parts.
What will help Quantitative Analysts increase their earning potential?
Octavian Ionici PhD: Try to understand what your boss or your company needs, then see if you can fill that gap with your skill set and work ethic. Finance constantly evolves. A career with lifelong learning will help keep you employable. Investing in continuous learning and skill development can increase your income potential down the road.
Plus, don't underestimate the power of a positive attitude and strong work ethic. You may not be an expert at the beginning, but you can take on every challenge given to you, work hard and try to turn it into a success for your organization. Each win will build your reputation and your portfolio of skills which you will then bring with you to your next job. As you do this, you will inevitably acquire specialized skills.
What Quantitative Analyst skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Noah Alatza: Prior to graduation, gain as much relevant experience as possible through internships. Having multiple internships where you've proven yourself to be successful and hardworking is essential to getting the best offers for full-time roles. In the early years of your career, take note of the qualifications of your next promotion and proactively take steps to ensure that you achieve those qualifications. Finally, make sure to do your research on salary levels for similar positions and don't be afraid to ask for an increase when your work performance and data support that request.
What will help Quantitative Analysts increase their earning potential?
Dr. Kimberly Gaither: Maximize your salary potential by asking questions and learning as quickly as possible. Be a good communicator with those above and below you as well as your peers. Be dependable. Persons who show up early and work hard will be valued and rewarded.
Dr. Adam Stivers
Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Finance at the University of Wisconsin – La CrosseUniversity of Wisconsin - La Crosse
Finance And Financial Management Services
What will help Quantitative Analysts increase their earning potential?
Dr. Adam Stivers: AI prompt engineering will likely become increasingly vital in finance. However, while AI tools will likely be able to handle a lot of quantitative tasks in the financial services industry, professionals will still need to be able to interpret and explain its output to others. That means communication skills and other soft skills will be important, but you still need to understand the quantitative aspects.
Fang Lin
Assistant Professor of FinancePacific Lutheran University
Finance And Financial Management Services
What Quantitative Analyst skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Fang Lin: Don't be afraid to negotiate your starting salary. Young journalists have a lot to offer newsrooms through social media skills and a willingness to adapt to new technologies such as artificial intelligence. Technology skills have value and should not be undersold. Also, young journalism students should not discount the value of their student media and internship experiences. Young journalists must use everything on their resumes to show how they bring value to their position and ask to be compensated fairly for the work they will contribute to the newsroom's success.
Dhruba Banjade
Assistant Professor in Finance & Department Chair of Business AnalysisWhat general advice would you give to a Quantitative Analyst?
Dhruba Banjade: i. The industry technology is changing fast. Specific skills will be more critical in the finance field in the next 3-5 years. Some of these are:
ii. Data analysis/ data mining skills. Knowledge of Excel, R, Python, data visualization, Tableau, RapidMiner, machine learning, and financial modeling skills are essential in finance and business.
iii. Skills and knowledge of artificial intelligence and machine learning will give more opportunities and help career development.
iv. Network security and cybersecurity are essential to protect financial transactions and digital data.
v. Knowledge of financial regulations and risk management will be in high demand in the next 3-5 years.
vi. Soft skills such as politeness, ability to work in a diverse group, good communication, learning attitude, etc, are also necessary.
vii. Many industry and business companies today focus on sustainable development and environmental, social, and governance activities. Knowledge of sustainability and ESG measures is also helpful.
viii. Broad knowledge of global financial markets, international finance, global economy, etc., will be valuable in the next 3-5 years.
What skills will help Quantitative Analysts earn the most?
Dr. Dustin White Ph.D.: In today's world, data science and econometric skills will help you earn the most. So many firms are desperate for quantitative analysts. You probably won't be called an "economist," but there are a LOT of jobs and a lot of great-paying opportunities in this area right now. It helps that there is a pretty significant shortage of these skills since that shortage leads to higher wages and the ability to find some pretty cool jobs, even without as much experience as you would expect otherwise.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Quantitative Analyst job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Rebecca McPherson Ph.D.: Currently, one of the biggest trends I see is the elimination of many entry-level positions. These employers are supplementing the loss of entry-level positions by shifting part of the workload to mid-level career professionals and adding interns. This means there are a lot more internship opportunities available. However, not all internships are good internships. Some internships are replacing the entry-level position without providing learning opportunities or skill development. Rather, it is low-skill, low-wage labor that is free or low cost to the employer but does not add to students' qualifications. So, when considering internship opportunities, especially those that are virtual, make sure the internship opportunity is supporting skill development in your aspiring career.
As mentioned, there is an increase in the number of virtual opportunities, especially virtual internships. Some entry-level positions have moved to virtual positions or virtual support positions that are part-time or project based. These opportunities are great for students seeking skills in their aspiring career field. However, this also means you are competing on a national scale with other entry-level applicants. Many organizations are overwhelmed with the number of individuals applying for these virtual or entry-level positions. Here are some suggestions to improve your chances of being selected for one of these positions.
First, a timely application for these highly sought positions is critical. An organization that has 300+ applicants per position will not look at every application. Even if the job is open for two weeks, they may only look at the first 50 applicants to obtain the number of qualified individuals they were looking for in the selection process. Therefore, it is essential to ensure you are quick to apply for the position. I recently sent a notice to students from an alumnus about multiple career opportunities. Within three days, they were no longer accepting resumes. Those students who were slow to respond missed out on this opportunity.
Second, to have a quick application, you need to ensure your resume is up to date and appropriate for your career field. Have your resume reviewed by at least three professionals who hire individuals in the career you are pursuing. Utilize their feedback to improve your resume and expand your network for job searching. You can find these individuals at the local Chamber of Commerce or professional organizations related to your career field. Experienced professionals love to give advice; you just need to be proactive and ask. Be gracious about criticisms of your resume because, again, you are seeking to expand your network, and leaving a good impression is important. Within the HR profession, more than half of the jobs found by HR professionals are found through networking. This means students aspiring to careers in human resource management need to be part of the professional organization in their local community related to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Most SHRM professional organizations are meeting virtually and actively help their members locate opportunities. Not being a member of your SHRM professional organization means missed opportunities in a tight job market.
Third, make sure your resume and social media are consistent. You need to ensure the materials you are providing as an applicant, including your resume, job application, and professional social media, offer the same story about your career direction and career past. Inconsistencies between these sources of information will lead the HR professional to believe you are, at best, lacking attention to detail and, at worst, disingenuous or lying about something in your background or future direction. I encourage all of our HR students to ensure their resumes are up to date, reviewed by local HR professionals, and their social media, in particular, LinkedIn is up to date and consistent with their resume. Then, connect with alumni from your institution who are currently holding jobs in the career you are pursuing.
Fourth, be diligent and proactive about searching for opportunities. It is taking longer for recent graduates and other job seekers to receive offers in their career field. If you failed to plan ahead and you did not have an internship or skill development during your academic career, you may need to seek out post-graduation internships and stretch opportunities with temporary agencies to increase your options. When there are more jobs and fewer applicants in the job market, having relevant skills in addition to your degree may not be as critical to obtaining the opportunity you are seeking. However, in this current economic situation, being one of the most prepared and qualified applicants is vital. If you are unprepared upon graduation, you need to investigate and understand the most marketable skills in your career field and actively seek out relevant opportunities, whether they are paid or unpaid. For aspiring HR professionals, entry-level marketable skills include forecasting labor needs, conducting a labor market analysis, sourcing and recruiting talent, interviewing and selecting talent, creating employment contracts and negotiating, onboarding new employees, HRIS experience and statistical reporting, people problem sensitivity, and problem-solving, legal compliance especially ADA, EEO, and Affirmative Actions, and policy compliance and changes. For those students who were proactive in seeking skill development during their academic program, they will have less difficulty finding and receiving a job offer.
Finally, when considering some of the most highly desirable attributes from the hiring manager's perspective, these include a strong work ethic, demonstration of critical thinking skills, strong communication skills, being collaborative, soft skills, and adaptability. Consider your resume and your social media presence; how are these representations of you as an aspiring professional demonstrating these highly desirable attributes? To what degree can you display these attributes in your accomplishments? For aspiring HR professionals, highly desirable qualities also include diplomacy, persuasion, cultural acuity, and consensus-building.
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Quantitative Analysts?
Dr. Rebecca McPherson Ph.D.: Professional services are a large segment of the job market encompassing multiple career domains, including business, commerce, accounting, marketing, human resource management, just to name a few. Understanding the most sought-after industry certifications is important to demonstrating professional identity, career commitment, and understanding of your chosen career field. Certifications and licenses can also demonstrate a specific level of knowledge or ability when it is widely recognized by employers. For example, in the human resource management field, SHRM offers the SHRM-CP, and the Human Resource Certification Institute offers the PHR. Both certifications are widely recognized in the human resource management profession. The preferences for these certifications can be found in multiple job announcements for entry-level and mid-career professional opportunities. Investigating job announcements to understand and pursue the certifications and licenses that are in demand will help position you as one of the most qualified applicants.
When considering which courses will have the most impact on job prospects, consider those courses that include applied or experiential learning. These courses allow you to take the knowledge and practice that knowledge on a project or in a setting. This will enable you to discuss the application of critical thinking to a specific skill with a particular outcome that translates as a potential accomplishment on your resume. Again, check out the job postings for your desired career to ensure that the types of courses you are pursuing are desirable by the organizations offering jobs in your career field.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Quantitative Analysts?
Haran Segram Ph.D.: There might be some short-term impacts but I don't foresee any long-term implications.
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Quantitative Analysts?
Haran Segram Ph.D.: Concentrations in economics/finance and data sciences will keep the graduates in good stead. Foundations of Fintech broadly and classes in Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence specifically should be an essential part of the curriculum.
What type of skills will young Quantitative Analysts need?
Dr. Michael Tin Shan Suen: Students need to have both hard and soft skills. Some of the in-demand hard skills are data analytics, the ability to code, analytical thinking, and the ability to tackle unstructured problems. The essential soft skill includes creativity, self-motivation, work ethics, perseverance, and being patient with your career development.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Quantitative Analysts to find work opportunities?
Dr. Michael Tin Shan Suen: Based on conventional thinking, good places for finance graduates to find work are New York (including the tri-state area), Chicago, and San Francisco. However, big cities in Texas and Florida are showing a growth trend.
How do you envision technology impacting Quantitative Analysts in the next 5 years?
Dr. Michael Tin Shan Suen: The field of finance will continue to embrace the advancement and application of the latest technology. Mastering the technology to analyze huge amounts of data is essential. This will turn the data into your competitive advantage.
What general advice would you give to a Quantitative Analyst?
Dr. Francis Cai Ph.D.: I would advise students to learn and gain experience in as much as possible. It's not uncommon for people to switch jobs and responsibilities throughout their careers, and you never know what knowledge you learn can be applied later in life. It's almost impossible for the school to prepare you fully for the real world, so don't be afraid to ask questions. The whole world is different from your college life. Be willing to adjust to the new environment.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Quantitative Analysts in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Francis Cai Ph.D.: Microsoft Excel will still be one of the vital tools for finance graduates. In the meantime, junior finance professionals should also pay attention to new technology to improve financial performance. Companies have increased their focus on big data, especially topics such as artificial intelligence and statistics. Learning programming languages such as R or Python, or similar programming language, will help office automation improve financial performance.
How would you rate the starting salaries for Quantitative Analysts, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Dr. Francis Cai Ph.D.: The latest data from the website Payscale.com indicates that graduates with finance majors generally have a higher starting salary than the average college graduate salary. There are many career advancement opportunities in finance, either on Wall Street or within finance and treasury departments at corporates.
What general advice would you give to a Quantitative Analyst?
Dr. William Wood Ph.D.: The main two things are: (1) Be a great team member by working hard with your colleagues and being friendly to everybody, especially people who are not in a position to directly help you -- for example, a cleaning crew member. This will make you a better person and possibly also attract favorable notice from those who can now help you. And (2) Be obsessive about learning new skills. If you get an optional opportunity to learn some new software or train on a different system, treat it as mandatory.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Quantitative Analysts in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. William Wood Ph.D.: I believe open-source software, such as R and Python, will become even more important and prevalent. But beyond learning as much R and Python as they can get, I think economics graduates should be alert to what replaces R and Python -- because no technological system or feature lasts forever. The useful life of technical systems seems to be getting shorter.
How would you rate the starting salaries for Quantitative Analysts, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Dr. William Wood Ph.D.: Starting salaries in economics are good -- better than for most college degrees -- and they get better as economics majors advance in their careers. Economics prepares people for leadership, and people with good leadership skills are often drawn to economics. Both effects operate to give us this observation that economics majors do well in their careers.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Quantitative Analyst job market given the pandemic?
Hart Hodges: In the near term, graduates have to navigate a very different world when it comes to interviewing. You have to present yourself well via Zoom or MS Teams. And you have to get a feel for an organization, perhaps without seeing it or its people in person. But hopefully, those challenges start to fade this summer - so maybe not a trend. Looking longer-term, I think one trend we'll see changes in data analytics.
"Big data" was already a developing trend. I think now you have to add dealing with and including uncertainty. (People will want analysts to consider scenarios where low probability events - like a pandemic - emerge.) I think another trend is demonstrating the ability to self manage and to be versatile. Your employer may need you in the office some days and at home others; your supervisors may work remotely; you will have to be able to handle in-person or virtual meetings, etc.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Quantitative Analysts in the next 3-5 years?
Hart Hodges: I'm going to hedge a bit on this question and say it is partly a matter of identifying the technology that will become more important, but more than that is having the ability to use different technologies and to be a good consumer of data. The exact technology depends on the career path. Some may be part of new fintech, while others will include more machine learning and AI. I do think machine learning is changing the world of forecasting and analysis. But graduates need to understand layers.
They need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of different data sources and use technologies that let them combine data that are in different formats. For example, there are valuable economic data in GIS format that you may want to combine with data in a very different format. In the end, I think some coding skills (SQL, Python, etc.) are going to be useful - but coding skills alone do not make you a good consumer of data. Technologies that allow for scenario analysis and thinking about uncertainty in different ways will also be more common in the future.
Will there be an increase or decrease in demand for Quantitative Analysts in the next 5 years?
Hart Hodges: I'm going to build off my last answer and say a slight increase. Economics is a social science but also relies on a solid analytical framework. Econ grads should be able to ask good questions and to work with that framework - regardless of the setting. And I think employers in different fields see value in that foundation. Students have to get away from looking for 'the right answers' and embrace economics as a way of thinking.
Employers want them for their thinking ability, not the answers they know or things they think are true. That is, students working at the intersection of social issues and analytics should be in demand. Companies like Amazon hire economists to work in data analytics because of the perspective they bring. Environmental economics, energy economics, etc. are all growing fields (think sustainability, ESG investing, and more). The demand for graduates should increase - IF departments like ours provide the right foundation.
Jarrad Harford Ph.D.
Professor of FinanceUniversity of Washington
Department of Finance and Business Economics
What Quantitative Analyst skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jarrad Harford Ph.D.: They should try to enhance the practical skills to complement the foundational knowledge they learned in college. So, this could include spreadsheet modeling, programming in R, expertise with Bloomberg terminals, etc. There are plenty of online courses that can help with these types of practical skills.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Quantitative Analysts in the next 3-5 years?
Jarrad Harford Ph.D.: Data analytics, Robo-advising, applications of AI in finance will continue to increase dramatically. Mobile peer-to-peer and consumer-direct-to-business platforms will grow and take market share from traditional payment intermediation.
Kim Tan Ph.D.
Professor, Accounting, ChairCalifornia State University - Stanislaus
Department of Accounting and Finance
What Quantitative Analyst skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Kim Tan Ph.D.: Travel abroad. Study/work on some certification to learn new/related skills (MOOC). Volunteer work. Work to help support the family. Prepare for graduate school. Work at a lower-level job in an organization they are interested in.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Quantitative Analysts in the next 3-5 years?
Kim Tan Ph.D.: Data analytics - how to input data, run analysis (use different software), understand the output, and communicate with other users: health care and manufacturing areas.
What experience really stands out on Quantitative Analyst resumes?
Kim Tan Ph.D.: Membership in student clubs. Leadership position in a student organization. Recipient of scholarship. Some work experience or internship.