On Thursday, November 4th, current students and alumni from the MS Quantitative Finance (MSQF) and MS Data Analytics & Business Computing (MSDABC) programs joined together online for the Alumni Panel & Networking Event with Current Students. The event, hosted on Zoom based on on-campus event restrictions and to accommodate the various locations of alumni, was an opportunity for current students and alumni from the Classes of 2020 and 2021 to network and share resources, advice, and career knowledge.
The event kicked off with an alumni panel discussion moderated by the current student cohort leaders of the two programs, Li Jinjin (MSQF ‘22) and Guo Yating (MSDABC ‘22), and featured three MSQF alumni from the Class of 2021 and three MSDABC alumni from the Classes of 2020 and 2021. During the panel session, each alum introduced themselves, sharing their current company and job title, recruiting experience, and path to employment. Their different experiences demonstrated the range of positions available to students in both programs and how the program prepared them for their jobs post-graduation.
Moderator Jinjin Li (MSQF ‘22) Moderator Yating Guo (MSDABC ‘22)
Here are a few highlights shared by our alumni during the panel session:
Zoey, MSDABC ‘21, is currently working for KraftHeinz as an International Management Trainee. She explained that her job may be a less traditional path than other MSDABC students who are working as data analysts or data scientists, but regardless she is utilizing knowledge from the program on a daily basis as she leverages data from social media platforms to help the food service department with consumer marketing. Zoey emphasized how the program helped her become a well-rounded candidate: “My quantitative skills, qualitative skills, and understanding of the whole business world and industry helped differentiate me during the recruitment process. My boss told me that the good reputation of NYU also helped add value to my resume.”
Sharing her experience as Data Analyst at CTrip, Hongyue, MSDABC ‘21, also remarked on the relevance of the program to her current job. In particular, she recommended that current students focus on honing their coding skills. She explained that students will need to demonstrate their coding skills during the interview process in addition to coding being a central part of any job as a data analyst. She shared how she appreciated learning multiple languages throughout different courses in the program, and specifically referenced the multiple machine learning courses in the program as particularly relevant and useful.
Similar to Hongyue, Ruixin, MSQF ‘21, remarked on how he regularly leverages skills gained in the program at his job as an analyst at Orient Securities. In particular, he highlighted the capstone project course, noting the importance of the professional skills he gained. Beyond the content he learned working on his project, he appreciated the practice of working as a team. Unlike other courses in which students could choose their own group project team members, the capstone groups are assigned by the faculty; this dynamic, he shared, pushed him to work with new classmates he didn’t already know as well, which mirrors his experience now working with diverse clients in the workplace.
Bob, MSQF ‘21, works as an analyst at China International Capital Corporation (CICC), where he specializes in equity derivatives sales. He shared that the MSQF course Volatility Modeling helped him secure his job because it taught him about forecasting volatility, a key concept in the financial world. As the MSQF Cohort Leader of the Class of 2021, Bob also emphasized the importance of staying connected to classmates, sharing how strong the network continues to be both personally and professionally.
In the second half of the event, alumni and students separated into two breakout discussions divided by program so they could connect directly. Conversations ranged from career advice and recruitment tips, exchanging contact information, to reminiscing about favorite program memories in Shanghai and New York City. Guo Yating, MSDABC ‘22 Cohort Leader, expressed how excited she was to connect with alumni, particularly in the breakout rooms: “The event helped us to have a deeper connection with our excellent alumni. During the breakout discussion, one of the senior alumni even provided us with an internship opportunity at EY, which impressed me a lot.”
With two classes of graduates and a third halfway through their program, the NYU Shanghai - NYU Stern alumni community is quickly growing. Shared Li Jinjin, MSQF ‘22 Cohort Leader: “We got a chance to talk to all these wonderful alumni who walked in the same shoes as us and successfully got jobs. This event helped us form an even tighter community.” This tight community is made up of internationally-minded young business professionals eager to help, connect with, and learn from fellow classmates and alumni, and we look forward to watching it evolve and expand in the coming years.