"I have never ceased to be a student. I have never ceased to learn." - Lee Kuan Yew
With this motto in mind, HuanJian Chang, a highly resourceful and dedicated learner, is figuring out his way through various challenges and going above and beyond to deliver the best results.
HuanJian is a full-time data analyst with 12+ years of work experience and domain knowledge in marketing. HuanJian is currently in the midst of a career transition, and with the EPAT Certificate of Excellence, he hopes to further explore the world of algo trading and maybe one day set up his own trading desk.
This is his story.
Hi Huan, tell us about yourself!
My name is HuanJian Chang. I am based in Singapore.
I have about 12+ years of working experience. Most recently as a Data Analyst at Goldman Sachs, Singapore. I've also held several marketing roles over the years.
At present, I am in the middle of a career transition and I spend a lot of my time reading and learning about new things.
Marketing, Analytics and now Algo Trading, could you share your story over the years?
FinTech and Finance have always interested me. I spent my first three years in marketing and I was very fortunate to train in a fast-growing FinTech company along the way.
During those years I started to work with marketing data and I really enjoyed working with it and made a career switch about two years ago. I joined Goldman Sachs as a Data Analyst under their training program while I also earned a professional diploma in Business Analytics from NUS.
My first interaction with data came during my stint as a digital marketing professional, I referred information from Social Media channels to take decisions for my marketing campaigns. I realised that I liked working with data a lot and decided to make a transition in my career.
My next step from being a digital marketer was towards marketing analytics. I found that in analytics there is always a technical component and a domain component. I had several years of domain knowledge in marketing and needed to amp up my knowledge related to the technical side of things. That’s when I moved to market analytics for about a year before transitioning to data analytics full-time.
As a data analyst, I worked with data heavily in Python which is the main language used in algo trading here at EPAT. There are also many similar topics in programming and machine learning that overlap in data analytics. I found this course to be a natural progression.
How would you describe your journey of learning Algorithmic Trading and EPAT?
My first interaction with algorithmic trading was with QuantInsti and EPAT. I got to know about EPAT from the Institute of Banking and Finance (IBF) in Singapore. After looking at the course curriculum, I was very impressed with the syllabus and the coverage and it was right then that I decided to sign up.
I find the EPAT course to be very rigorous. A lot of content is covered each week and there are weekly practices and homework submissions. All of this contributed to helping me get ready for the final exams.
My expectations were pretty high when the course started. I was provided with pre-reading materials and there were various primers available on math, Python programming for trading, and finance. These are very valuable for a beginner like me who is new to the industry. I also received physical copies of the books written by the faculty members which was very helpful.
Which feature of EPAT did you like the most?
For Singapore citizens, the course is heavily subsidised by IBF. I was able to take advantage of this to find my learning journey. The condition to receive the funding required good attendance and a passing score to pass the final exam which then aligned with my motivation as well to do this course.
I was looking for a structured programme to guide me on my algorithmic journey. In this course, the programming and machine learning examples and applications are all geared towards the same objective. The faculty is made of practising industry experts and outside our learning hours, I was supported by the support managers assigned to us.
I particularly liked the post-course support that is the alumni team. I receive frequent updates and news about the industry from them. I continue to have access to the course content including the latest revisions to the syllabus.
The career cell at QuantInsti also provides continuous support to my learning, helps me with interview preparations and frequently informs me about new placements and job opportunities in the industry.
Even after several months, post-completion of the course I am still going through the course materials and recommended readings the faculty has provided. Throughout the course, I have gained a lot of knowledge which I’ll apply to my own trading in the future.
What would be your message to all the aspiring Algo Traders out there?
For aspiring algo traders who are looking to join EPAT, especially those who are beginners like me, I would encourage you to keep a dictionary or a glossary of terms for quick referencing. Personally, I kept two - one for programming-related terms and the other for financial terms that would help me keep my concepts clear.
I have really benefited from participating in alumni discussions. There have been many before me who have found success from this course and I find it amazing to get a chance to learn from them.
Thank you so much for your time, HuanJian. We congratulate you on receiving your Certificate of Excellence from EPAT and are glad we were able to help you in your Algo Trading journey and make your story a success! We wish you continued success and wish you even more remarkable accomplishments.
If you too desire to equip yourself with lifelong skills that will always help you upgrade your trading strategies. 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 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.
