I have always been interested in technical subjects and completed a bachelor’s degree in engineering in civil engineering at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. I worked at an engineering firm for a few years before deciding to pursue a master’s degree in finance and financial management at Thammasat University. During that program, I had the chance to do an exchange program at EDHEC Business School and developed a strong interest in programming and optimization when applied to financial markets. 
 

While pursuing my master's degree, I worked as a model consultant at a large life insurance company. I explored algorithmic trading and, driven by my interest in programming, transitioned to a research assistant role at the computer science lab at VISTEC. During this period, I realized my desire to continue academic studies and began a PhD program in quantitative economics at Kiel University in Germany. However, shortly after starting, the COVID-19 pandemic began, leading me to move back to Thailand, where I worked as a Quantitative Analyst at AI Gen.

An opportunity opened up at KWI Asset Management Company in Bangkok and I joined the firm as a Quantitative Risk Manager. After a year, I became an Assistant Fund Manager and found the work very interesting. Even though my PhD was on hold, I remained in touch with some of my academic contacts and this proved to be very helpful. I discovered the CQF through my PhD advisor, who was invited to talk at the CQF Institute, and he invited several of his students to listen to that lecture. I was immediately interested in the program because I could see that it would advance my math and programming skills in the direction that I wanted my career to go in. As I was considering my options, I learned that the Capital Market Development Fund (CMDF) in Thailand provided scholarships to students for this program. I would like to thank CMDF for the grant and the opportunity from KWI that enabled me to complete the CQF in one year. The CQF has given me tremendous value at a time when the industry is developing quickly in Thailand; as the market grows, it is a great time to invest in your knowledge and advance your financial career here. 
 

I continued my job at KWI while I was enrolled on the CQF, and I devoted one or two hours per day in the evenings to keep up with the lectures. On the weekends, I did the homework and attended some of the live lab sessions. This was great as it allowed me to ask questions and interact directly with the faculty.

Since completing the CQF program, I have continued my work as an Assistant Fund Manager. I have found many ways that the CQF has enhanced my ability to work with models and calculations. It has enabled me to examine things from the quant perspective. I use everything from Excel spreadsheets to Python code and this has enhanced my computation and analysis, improving the quality of my presentations and insights. Overall, the CQF has boosted my confidence in tackling complex financial challenges.
 

I recommend the CQF program highly, especially for people who are from academia, but want to shift into industry, and also people who are already in the business world but may not have a strong background in the fundamentals of quantitative finance. For both groups, the CQF can provide a great foundation for their career path.