CFEM Alumni Brochure: Professional and Student Life
In addition to exploring a wide range of career opportunities, CFEM Alumni remember to take time for their personal growth and develop extracurricular interests on the side.
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Quant Finance Forum: From Black Scholes to Big Data
Image of Quant Finance Forum Panelists and Guests at The Bloomberg Center at Cornell Tech
The Financial Data Science semester was great. The coursework was just the right amount, such that I learned useful techniques and models in data science.” Shaojie He (Class of 2016)
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Career Changes Continued
"I decided to set up a consulting business with some other co-founders, having known a few people in the area of sustainability. To be able to come up with business strategies that are both profitable and socially responsible
is also the ultimate fulfillment of my career."
-Ratchat Rangpholsamrit (Class of 2008)
"As a data engineer, I'm part of a small team that processes 200TB of data per day. My first job after CFEM was as a junior quant, and I felt that
programming was my favorite part."
-Henry Zhang (Class of 2009)
"I transitioned to the Investment Banking side from Sales & Trading awhile ago.
Very different environment, but my training at Cornell
has been helpful in many ways."
-Sung Jun Choi (Class of 2012)
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Play Hard with CFEM
Image of students studying, laughing at Bootcamp, winning awards, etc.
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Advice for My Younger Self
Be more prepared for quantitative interview questions, especially the summer before the first year in Ithaca
Enjoy the time and make good friends in Cornell
I wish I could have studied harder and played harder because today I find myself not finding enough time to do either
Read the interview book, and take a summer programming course in Python or C++
Get a few years of experience in a technical role within finance
Grades are important, but after a few years, they won't matter. Focus on learning
Do as much research as possible on career options / fields before you join
It's better to make mistakes upfront than later in your career decisions
Start trading with your own money as early and as seriously as possible
Take as many internships as you can
Read nonfiction books about derivative products and backtest more strategies
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More Advice for My Younger Self
I would have spent my 1st and 2nd years with much clearer goals. Ithaca was a fantastic place to discuss cutting-edge problems in both academia and industry with classmates and professors
Take more machine learning and coding courses. Take as many CS and stats courses as possible!
Change my rear-wheel-drive car to four-wheel-drive [for Ithaca]
Know your strengths and interests to leverage the CFEM program
Hold onto notes/slides/textbooks! I lost them all and regret it
Learn more coding. Stay up-to-date on industry trends
Take some other courses beyond the program requirements, making the most of Cornell's resources
I was afraid to network because I thought I wasn't ready, but the fact is that you'll never be ready before you start
Don't get frightened by those so-called "big names"
Network, network, network!
Connect with more alumni
Don't be afraid of failures. Fail fast and learn from it!
Skip stochastic calculus / take the bond math course
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CFEM Hobbies: What Our Alumni Do For Fun!
Skiing
Piano
Cooking
Pottery
Basketball
Photography
Gardening
Karaoke
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CFEM Hobbies
Running, surfing, and poker. Now with a 2-year-old daughter, I can add Disneyland to this list. - MIchael Gately '15
Pianist in Residence and Advisory Board Member of the New York Piano Society - Yiran Wang '11
Reading books! I finish at least one book every two weeks. - Shabai Chen '16
I serve on the Board of the nonprofit South Bronx United - Pranav Sawjiany '09
As I am getting older, my focus has been shifted towards spending quality time with my loved ones. Hence, my hobbies may not always be activities, but more about making sure that the purpose of life has always been sharpened, and relationships with loved ones are optimized. - Ratchat Rangpholsamrit '08
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CFEM Hobbies
Learning foreign languages
Tennis
Barbecuing
K-Pop Dance
Golf
A Cappella
Video Games
Watching movies
Programming projects
LEGO
Driving
Playing PC Games
Anime
Baking
Snowboarding
Billiards
Playing with the dog
Cycle polo
Camping
Fly fishing
Craft beer enthusiast
Badminton
Boxing
Singing
Opera
Long Distance Running
Foodie
Squash
Latin dance
Scuba Diving
Hiking
Cryptocurrencies and blockchain
Startups
Yoga
Single Stock Value Investing
Wine Tasting
Traveling
Playing Guitar
Metal and Classical Music
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Women of CFEM
Images of CFEM Female Students, Faculty, and Staff Members Over the Years
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From 55 Broad Street to CFEM'S New Home at Cornell Tech
Images of CFEM’s Former Office at 55 Broad Street and Current Office at the Bloomberg Center at Cornell Tech