What is a quant?
Quant is short for quantitative analyst. It is someone who uses math, statistics and code to make decisions about money.
The job, in one example
A shop sells umbrellas. Should it order 50 or 500 for next month? Guess too low and it runs out on the first rainy day. Guess too high and it is stuck with boxes of umbrellas.
A quant would look at years of weather data, work out how likely each kind of month is, and choose the order that does best on average while making sure one bad month cannot sink the shop.
Now swap umbrellas for stocks, oil or currencies, and make the decision thousands of times a second. That is quantitative finance.
Try a quant question
A fair coin. Heads, you win $12. Tails, you lose $4. Do you play?
Three kinds of quant
Quant researcher
Looks for patterns in data and tests whether they are real. Closest to being a scientist. Uses a lot of statistics, Python and R.
Quant trader
Makes decisions with money on the line, often in seconds. Leans on probability, game theory and staying calm.
Quant developer
Builds the systems that run the strategies. Writes fast, careful code in languages like C++ and Python.
What quants need to know
Probability and statistics to measure what is likely and what it is worth.
Programming to test ideas on data instead of guessing.
Game theory to think about what other people will do, because in a market your result depends on everyone else.
The Quant Pipeline teaches all three, starting from nothing.
Do I need to be a math genius?
No. You need to like puzzles and be willing to practice. Most of the math quants use every day starts with ideas you can learn in high school.
Do I need to know how to code already?
No. The Python track starts with your first line of code.
Is this only for people who want to work in finance?
No. Probability, statistics and programming are the same skills used in data science, engineering and research.
What does it cost?
Nothing. Sponsors pay for the lessons, the seminars and the kits.