By Yao Yao (Current Student, MSQF Class of 2022)
Yao Yao MSQF ‘22
Today’s commercial environment is constantly changing at an unprecedented velocity. Beyond the academic foundation acquired in lectures, it is imperative to also equip business students with the know-how outside of the classroom to succeed in the business world. By merging traditional classroom teachings with real-world issues in commerce, faculty in NYU Shanghai and NYU Stern’s joint Master of Science programs in Quantitative Finance (MSQF) and Data Analytics & Business Computing (MSDABC) have developed a curriculum that offers students exposure to established practitioners in the global marketplace.
Throughout the course of the current MSQF program, guest speakers from a variety of industries were invited to the classrooms on Century Avenue, offering the cohort tremendous insights into career development, industry specifics, and the global business landscape. So far, the primary focus has been on China’s growing economy, which is gaining increasing prominence not only in international goods and services markets, but also in financial markets.
Vivian Wang, a seasoned executive search recruiter with more than ten years of industry experience, delivered a speech on her own professional trajectory and shared critical career advice with students. Based on her varied experience, starting with her first position as a mechanical engineer in a sewage plant and having switched multiple jobs throughout her professional life until she landed as a recruiter, Ms. Wang shared her number one piece of career advice: everyone has their own career path and there are no set rules for becoming successful. This message resonates with many students who come from a non-finance background and seek to transition into finance through the MSQF program. Despite differences in age and background, enrolling in the MSQF program offers them the opportunity to quickly equip themselves with finance knowledge that positions them for success in the finance industry.
Vivian Wang sharing career advice with students
Cheng Ye, Wells Fargo Bank’s China country manager and Shanghai branch manager, was also invited into the classroom. In addition to giving a detailed overview of the history of Wells Fargo and explaining the banking giant’s major line of business in China, which is US Dollar Clearing, Mr. Ye shared a heartfelt personal story that emphasized the importance of kindness in one’s career path. He recounted how he successfully landed his first job in finance because, during his MBA years, he altruistically helped out an academically struggling classmate. Later on, as a show of appreciation, that classmate's father gave him a strong referral as an executive at a large bank. “I was just being kind and didn’t expect anything, but it turned out well in the end.” Mr. Ye said. This insight was greatly appreciated by MSQF students as many of them share the same mentality with Mr. Ye, as shown by their contributions to value-adding campus activities as orientation ambassadors, cohort leaders, career ambassadors for the Career Development Center, and writers for the student publication “On Century Avenue”.
Cheng Ye sharing his story
Jinfu Chan, CFO of GE Power in China, also gave an informative talk to the MSQF cohort. Starting out as a management trainee at GE in Singapore, Ms. Chan has had a globetrotting career in which he quickly climbed the corporate ladder and assumed great responsibilities in various corporate functions. When asked about how she manages to work with culturally diverse teams, Ms. Chan shared: “Don’t assume everyone is you and your life will get better. Everyone is different and you need to accept that.” This sentiment struck home with students in the cohort, as this program offers students a uniquely global environment that nurtures their cultural empathy.
Jinfu Chan encouraging students to work with diverse teammates
Brett Barna, an investment professional who currently heads the Barna Family Office, shared his professional experience with students as well. Mr. Barna has had a fascinating career in the finance industry that began in New York City at Lazard, an investment bank whose name dates back to the 1800s. He subsequently transitioned into the asset management business and eventually started his own firm in Shanghai, seeing tremendous potential in the Chinese markets. After sharing his thoughts on investment opportunities in both public and private markets, Mr. Barna offered students a valuable piece of advice when it comes to building their credibility initially in the professional world: try to find something that you know more about than anyone else so that people would turn to you if they want to learn about this issue. In fact, the MSQF program has a capstone project that was designed to reinforce students’ knowledge in a specific area in finance, and Mr. Barna is kind enough to offer to be one of the industry veterans advising students on the capstone project. It is expected that, with the oversight of seasoned corporate sponsors, students will be very adept at their assigned field after completing the capstone project.
Brett Barna advising students on the capstone project
Lin Sun, former Two Sigma quantitative researcher and the founder of the QuantPi Investments, joined the class to offer his insights on trading and volatility in the financial markets. Students showed great initiative by engaging in discussions surrounding a variety of trading strategies and differences between financial markets in China and the US. At the end, Mr. Sun shared several employment opportunities at his quantitative trading firm for students to pursue. The well-connected nature of the MSQF program allows students to have better exposure to the job market, positioning them to land their dream jobs upon graduation.
Lin Sun spoke with students via Zoom
It is only halfway through the program and students have already engaged in meaningful conversations with many masterminds in the world of global business and finance. With the newfound knowledge and connections, students are increasingly confident that they will be successful not only in the MSQF program, but also in the job market.