I signed up for the CQF because I wanted to change from a pure mathematical background into quantitative finance.

After six years of studying, I was ready to start working and didn’t necessarily want to spend another two years doing another Masters. However, the lack of practical applications in my degree and my lack of programming experience made it very difficult to get the job I wanted – a quantitative role in risk management. So when I found out about the CQF program, I thought that it was perfect for me: an intense six-month course that will provide practical quantitative finance applications as well as some exposure to programming in VBA and C++.

To do the CQF was the best decision I have ever made. It’s very well recognized all around the world, and it definitely fulfilled what it promised, plus more. It provides great practical knowledge in quantitative finance and is a fantastic introduction to VBA and C++. You are also invited to worldwide presentations about the most recent hot topics in quantitative finance, and if you can’t attend you can see the recorded version online. This is just one of many other great opportunities that the CQF program offers.

Because I live in Australia I had to do the whole course as a distance learner. Some people might think of it as worth less or more difficult than going to the actual lectures held in London. I have to say I was very impressed with the distance learner course. The quality of the lectures was perfect, and you can log on in real time to participate live over the internet. If, as in my case, the time difference makes it difficult to participate live, you can watch the recorded lectures and send emails to the lecturers or the 7city Learning assistants if you have any questions or need some help. The 7city staff are very friendly and helpful, so I can really recommend it to anyone.

The best thing that came out of the CQF program for me, is that I finally got the job that I have always wanted – a job in quantitative analytics in risk management.

People asked me if I would have been able to get that job without doing the CQF program. And honestly, I have to say no. I learned so much in the CQF, which of course with my masters in mathematics I would have been able to pick up on the job at some stage. But without the CQF program I probably would have never got the chance to prove that. In my job interview, I was asked all sorts of very detailed questions that were all covered by the CQF program, and if I hadn’t have done the course I wouldn’t have been able to answer a single one of them.