“To learn something new, you need to try new things and not be afraid to be wrong.” - Roy T. Bennett
Sagar Doshi is a Chartered Accountant from India, who was a Tax Consultant for 7 years and has been trading actively for 4+ years.
Beginning as a Commerce graduate who passed the CMT Level 1 exam, Sagar went on to become a CFA Level 2 candidate and is now engaging in Algo Trading, which is simply extraordinary. We present to you, Sagar's journey of advancement in the world of algo trading and how his passion for acquiring new knowledge and developing his skills in the world of trading, aided him.
Hi! I’m Sagar Doshi. I'm a Chartered Accountant qualified from ICAI (The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India) and I have done my Bachelor in Commerce. I’m working as a Deputy Manager for one of the largest global conglomerates. And in my current role, I work in indirect taxes.
I have a keen interest in the stock market and I have established my own trading setup, where I trade manually. And I’m working towards building up an algorithmic trading setup.
In Algorithmic trading, you set rules and remove human emotions from the equation. This helps in making better trading decisions and this fascinated me.
I have done a lot of manual training. But I wanted to save time and automate my trades. That way, I could focus more on building more strategies rather than deploying my valuable time into manual trades. It gave me the push to learn more about Algorithms and Python. Stay ahead of the curve with our recommended Algorithmic Trading books.
I began exploring platforms where I could automate trades, and develop as well as backtest my trading strategies. It was then that I came across EPAT.
Being from a Commerce background, I had learned a lot about taxes, accounts, and finance, but not coding. Coding is an important part of Algorithmic Trading. When I joined EPAT, diving into the Python programming language was an altogether new journey for me.
To pursue my ambition, I spent a lot of my time learning Python. I dedicated my time to overcoming this challenge by setting up some strategies for myself.
The following worked for me:
- Managing Time - Coming from a non-coding background, one should spend more time understanding the concepts versus someone who is already well-versed in this area. I wasn’t able to study during the weekdays due to my full-time job. So, I spent my weekends learning to get a good handle on Python.
- Utilising Recorded Lectures - I had a good hold on the basic concepts of Excel. But it was important for me to keep going over different parameters and understand their applicability. With the help of recorded lectures, I was able to go through them at my own pace and grasp what was being taught.
- Books and Blogs - I referred to many free online books. EPAT provides its own set of books and ample learning material and comprehensive resources on Python and Machine Learning that are pretty good. Their blogs are helpful and very easy to understand. This is useful, especially for those who are freshers in this field and want to know more about this domain.
- Case Studies - The tutors discussed some very interesting and beneficial. case studies that discussed trading strategies that trading professionals have used. They provided different references and research materials to expand our knowledge. Personally, I found these very useful as they helped me learn about the most recent developments in both the stock market and the development of algorithms.
With EPAT, I started my journey into the world of Algo Trading, and it has been great. But now I have to digest the knowledge I have consumed and execute it in the practical world. I am working on creating a customised Python code for my daily trades, which I will soon be integrating into my trading strategies.
Your message to all the aspiring Algo Traders out there!
If you want to develop your algo desk or you want to make a career in algo trading, then you should go for EPAT.
You should dedicate a good amount of time to getting good hands-on Python. Avoid having a hectic job schedule if you are a fresher in Python, as it takes time to learn, practice and implement it.
If you want to develop your desk, despite it being a little time-consuming, it will be worth it.
After completing the EPAT course, you will undoubtedly be much better prepared to succeed. But it will still take persistence and time to achieve success.
We appreciate you sharing your knowledge and growing process. We sincerely hope that you give it your all and continue to expand your skill set and knowledge base. Congratulations on receiving your EPAT Certificate of Excellence and best wishes for the future.
You too can equip yourself with lifelong skills which will always help you in upgrading your trading strategies and offer practical experience. With topics such as Statistics & Econometrics, Financial Computing & Technology, and Machine Learning, this algo trading course ensures that you are proficient in every skill required to excel in the world of trading. Enroll in EPAT now!
Disclaimer: In order to assist individuals who are considering pursuing a career in algorithmic and quantitative trading, this success story has been collated based on the personal experiences of a student or alumni from QuantInsti’s EPAT programme. Success stories are for illustrative purposes only and are not meant to be used for investment purposes. The results achieved post-completion of the EPAT programme may not be uniform for all individuals.
