What should I do with my life
Hi I am 16 years old and currently live in Kenya but go to private school and I'm going through the British system but I want to go to an American university. I am only really good at/like math and computer science and I want to make a lot of money. Does the university I go to matter? Are the more quantitative fields lucrative? What do you think is the best field for me to enter? Do I still have a good chance of making alot of money not going to a top university? Do gcse options matter? Because I did some btecs and only one science but I got 100% in maths, further maths, physics and comp science? And would it be best to work for a company or go into entrepreneurship?
If you want to be an entrepreneur, you have to have a good idea, execute it well and have a good client base / sales pipeline.
If you have none of these things, you shouldn’t become an entrepreneur.
Given that your aspiration is to make money and that your interests lie in math and CS, your best bet would be something finance or tech related (if that's what you mean by a "quantitative field"). Potential jobs include software engineering at a FAANG or unicorn, quant dev for high frequency trading firms or hedge funds, investment banking at a bulge bracket, etc. Absolutely aim to go to a top university if you wish to work in one of these jobs at a top firm. It's not impossible to get a similar job from a lower-ranked school, but the name alone of a top university, let alone the wealth of alumni connections, on-campus recruiting, is definitely worth it.
Entrepreneurship is a gamble especially if you don't have any prior experience; the wiser play is generally to get a few years of high finance at a top-name firm on your resume before pivoting to other ventures
In my experience STEM is much easier on those who aren’t from the top programs. Sure there is google and Amazon but pretty much everywhere outside the tech hubs is starved for talent.
You say you’re in Kenya but you’re studying in the British system. What do you mean by that? Do Kenya and Britain have similar school systems because of colonization?
No I go to a private international school that's based on the UK curriculum
If you get high marks on your exams and keep honing your interest in math and CS, you'll have a solid shot at Oxbridge. Applying as an international student to US schools, especially top US schools, is a total crapshoot, but it's doable
But although I go to a private school my family is in between money right now my dad died because he got shot fighting against the corruption in Kenya after he lost a multi billion dollar deal and a lot of his money, but because the judicial system in Kenya is so shit we've been waiting on the inheritance which is around 100 million dollars or so for 6 years now.
How did you find this site? That's crazy
I found this site off of Analyst Forum . com
Well I was looking through possible careers. Medicine didn't really seem worth it to me because I hate biology and chemistry. Engineering doesn't really seem worth it because I don't enjoy the work and there's a definite ceiling. Law didn't really seem worth it because I don't enjoy law. Actuarial science didn't seem worth it because I'm not trying to spend thousands of hours revising and the ceiling seemed relatively high but still quite limiting. And I know I'm not trying to go into banking or consulting from learning on here about what their like. So really I don't know what to do but I know what I'm good at and like to do ( maths, computer science and economics) and people on here seem pretty monetarily successful and knowledgeable.
People complain a lot about banking and consulting on this site, and though these careers have drawbacks, they set you up for a interesting and lucrative career. I’d be careful not to write them off right now. Others have voiced tech as a possible career—which is a good idea as well.
In the mean time, focus on getting to the US, UK or EU for university. Some schools will cover your expenses. Otherwise, there likely national scholarship programs in Kenya (I’m thinking about an analog to bridge2rwanda). The largest thing you can do for your earning potential is migrate—at least for college.
what about phyiscal commodity trading?
Yeah I'm sure without a doubt I can go to a top school in the UK but I don't know if I can get into a top US university. The UK is definitely a good option but everywhere I read the UK salaries and opportunities are significantly worse. I don't know if I've been looking in the wrong places though. Would it be smart to get a degree in the UK and to move to the US for work?
There might be a haircut in the U.K., but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to get there. Might be an impact for ~5 years postgrad, but long term you can minimize that/move elsewhere.
I’d take a “top U.K.” school over most schools in the US.
- Max out SAT and SAT Subjet (selecting Math and sciences)
- Extracurriculars: projects, awards, leadership
- Top high school grade
- Get into top STEM school in the state
- Gear for quant field, applying for internships
- Graduate and work for a quant HF
As a immigrant from England, I would advise you to either study STEM subjects or apply to a highly respected USA university.
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