Math Teacher to Finance - Can it be done?

I have a good friend that has been teaching math in a local high school for 6 years. He's a whiz already has his master's degree in mathematics and contributes to text books, etc. He mentioned to me the other day that he might be interested in a career change and heard that Banks, PE, etc hire math guys.

What say you? Does he have a shot? What kind of advice should I give him about Networking/MBA etc??

 
Best Response

Search the name "Jeffrey Epstein" in google.

This gentleman taught high school math (and physics) for a few years before doing a complete career change into finance. He started off at Bear Stearns (now part of JP Morgan) before starting his own investment management firm.

This guy was born in a working class neighborhood of Brooklyn. Went to public high school, and than attended a "non-target" college. He actually left college without completing a degree.

In other words, this is a man who had no discernible advantages conferred to him in life, and yet, the guy is a billionaire. A few scandals aside (I won't go into detail since one can easily find this own their own through google), this man has been very successful - especially when you take his background into consideration.

How should your friend proceed? That really depends on what your friend is interested in. You mentioned "banks, PE, etc."

If he is interested in working for an investment bank in a traditional role, it will probably be tough to break in without returning to school. Your friend doesn't necessarily need to pursue an MBA. He could do a terminal masters degree in something like Statistics, Computer Science, etc. Of course, going for an MBA is also an option. In both cases, it is very important to get into a top program (e.g. a program at a school that has OCR (on campus recruiting) and/or good representation on Wall Street.

I don't think PE is a realistic option at this point, since most firms exclusively recruit people with previous banking experience. A former high school math teacher would not be in the running at all.

If it's trading, he might be able to get a job at a proprietary trading firm. There are some firms that will take virtually anyone who puts up a capital contribution. Some of these firms are scams, but there are a few shops that are legitimate (somewhere like T3 comes to mind, I actually have a friend who works there) although it will pretty much be a sink or swim environment. There are also some prop firms that don't require a capital contribution (e.g. Jane Street), but they are extremely competitive -- even with your friend's background in math, the competition would be fierce.

Another alternative is for your friend to embark on the CFA program.

Again, the ultimate path that your friend should take depends on what he is interested in within finance.

 

Sorry, but I feel like I'm lost here and others might be too. When did you get the MBA? And did you go through recruiting at your MBA program? Where did you go? (a ranking/tier range would be fine so people can have a general idea). Also, where are you working now and what are you doing there? I would imagine there are some entry level finance jobs that you would be able to get at smaller places . Alot of the posts I see on job websites always say "MBA preferred" even if the job only requires 1 year of experience. I feel that others may be of more help if you give a little more detail.

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there" - Will Rogers
 

At delectus sit saepe. Ducimus velit rem architecto qui dolore sapiente qui.

Sint voluptas animi dolores neque quidem. Veniam ea ut quae exercitationem accusamus commodi. Delectus ea magnam deserunt.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. (++) 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (202) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (144) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”