Chinmay believes that he will be able to develop a profitable system and that he would be able to automate price-based strategies. A CFA aspirant and an engineering student, he was able to achieve this feat by interning at an algorithmic trading firm with the help of EPAT’s Placement Cell.
Through EPAT, Chinmay was able to learn other advanced technologies of Algo trading and with his fine grip on Python. He was able to implement the strategy using historical data and find levels to trade.
He looks forward to setting up his desk in algorithmic trading. We connected with him to learn about his journey into Algo Trading.
Hi Chinmay, tell us about yourself!
Hello everyone, I'm Chinmay Patil. I'm based in Mumbai, I'm 21 and I'm in my final year of Engineering. I’m preparing for CFA at the present.
My interests are in the share market, I love music, and I like playing the guitar. I'm into sports, especially football and I'm also a fitness enthusiast.
Why did you choose to learn Algorithmic Trading?
I got interested in this domain because of my uncle who knew about this field. The pandemic kind of allowed me to discover algorithmic trading. When the lockdown took place, I went to my hometown, and I had quite a lot of time on my hands.
During the lockdown, my uncle was using a specific strategy for intraday trading. And he had this idea to automate everything.
He persuaded me to research it and I was frequented by his questions that helped me understand better.
How can we do that?
Can you do that?
Can you do this?
Can you make this process automated?
Post my research, I got to know about backtesting, automation, data required for backtesting, etc.
This led me to explore the algorithmic trading domain and eventually, I found QuantInsti. I learnt that they provide a nice course, EPAT, in which they teach and provide technical as well as financial knowledge.
Also Read: Raj's Journey: Combining Engineering and Technology with Finance
What was your experience at EPAT like?
EPAT fulfilled my expectations. Initially, being from a technical background, some topics seemed difficult to me, however, I developed the proficiency later on. Backtesting was taught well and it was understood.
It was a great experience. Because of EPAT, I got to know not only about concepts like Sharpe Ratio but also got familiarised with vital processes like Backtesting. I realised that there is a vast world of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) that have applications in trading. I was intrigued.
Before EPAT, I had done another course but it was very basic, introductory, and more about coding.
But when I went through EPAT’s curriculum, it was very in-depth and very vast. The flow of the various modules portrayed a structured approach helpful for a learner like me. It covered everything from machine learning, options, statistics, and even how the markets work. This intrigued me, to opt for EPAT.
I already had the technical knowledge and with EPAT I was able to develop financial knowledge and technological skills in depth.
The best part about EPAT is that it is on the weekends!
Is there any particular feature of EPAT that you love the most?
I loved these features the most in EPAT:
Lifetime access to the course - Once a part of EPAT, we can get access to its contents anytime in the future. I have been using it a lot to revisit lectures, revise topics and learn newer concepts. I visited the website a few days back for my knowledge of statistics and a brief revision. If there is a change in the syllabus, it is updated in my account as well.
A global community of Quants - With EPAT, we become part of a global community of quants, traders, and algorithmic trading professionals.
Lifetime Placement services - I am looking forward to the placement team after completing my internship, and CFA. The Placement Team always sends me emails regarding various job opportunities. I check the criteria and requirements for the job and then I try to upgrade my skills and develop the skills that I don't possess. The placement team has guided me and provided me with the proper firms which are looking for interns. So far, it has been a really good experience.
What is your message to the students who want to learn about Algo Trading?
My message for the Algo Trading aspirants would be - if you want to learn algorithmic and quantitative trading, just go for it. Because when I started, I did it because I wanted to help my uncle with his project.
But then as I got into this domain, I found it intriguing enough to take it up as a career for myself.
You never know, unless you explore. You may find algorithmic trading much more interesting.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us, Chinmay. It makes us happy to know you found what you were looking for with EPAT. We hope you achieve your dreams of completing CFA and we look forward to assisting you in helping achieve your career goals.
If you too desire to equip yourself with lifelong skills which will always help you in upgrading your trading strategies. With topics such as Statistics & Econometrics, Financial Computing & Technology, Machine Learning, this algo trading course ensures that you are proficient in every skill required to excel in the field of trading. Check out 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.
