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Aya Bellicha, The University of California at Berkeley

Aya Bellicha, University of California at Berkeley

Vital Stats

HOMETOWN: Tel Aviv, Israel
Master's Program:
University of California at Berkeley (Haas School of Business), Master in Financial Engineering
Undergraduate Degree:
Degree in electrical engineering and computer science from Tel Aviv University
Honors: Graduated with honors.
Internships: In October I'll be starting an internship at Duff & Phelps in San Francisco in the financial engineering department.
Mentor: No true mentor.

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Interview Conducted By Cristina McEachern

Qualifications and Background
Aspirations
Beyond the Numbers

Advanced Trading: Why did you choose to pursue a master's degree in finance, and why did you choose the University of California at Berkeley's program?

Bellicha: I had been working as an electrical engineer for a few years and reached a point where I had to decide what's next -- stay and build a career in that industry or choose a different path. I like the field, but I felt I wasn't reaching my full potential, so I started taking M.B.A. courses at Tel Aviv University and started researching other programs and came across the Berkeley M.F.E. program. It has a really high ranking, and after reading about the program and curriculum I decided this was what I wanted to do.

AT: What is your math background? Do you have any programming experience?

Bellicha: My math background is mainly from my undergrad studies -- and now stats and math classes in the M.F.E. program. For programming, during my undergrad studies I majored in computer science and electrical engineering, so I have extensive experience in programming.

AT: What classes are you taking that will be essential to helping you be more prepared for a job on Wall Street?

Bellicha: The M.F.E. program specializes in giving us all the tools that we will need for our future jobs. Most of the courses expose us to different aspects of financial engineering. The most relevant for me was the quantitative finance course and the partial differential equations to value different instruments.

AT: Why did you choose a career on Wall Street?

Bellicha: I think that in the financial industry you need the combination of strong math and programming backgrounds. But you also have to be creative and have knowledge of the financial industry. It's the combination that made me interested in the field.

AT: What first interested you in Wall Street?

Bellicha: The combination of math, programming and finance, and the fact that I get to interact with people.

AT: How has your background prepared you for the practical task of analyzing data?

Bellicha: In engineering I was in the digital signal-processing department and developed all sorts of models that I then had to run performance tests on. I reviewed large amounts of data and from that data had to find the data that was relevant to me and summarize it to see if the chip was working correctly.

AT: How would you rate your knowledge of the business of financial services, on a scale of 1 to 10?

Bellicha: About 7. In recent years I learned a lot about the industry, but now I realize it's just the tip of the iceberg and I still have a lot to learn, and I will continue to learn in the next few years.

AT: Why did you choose a career on Wall Street?

Bellicha: I think that in the financial industry you need the combination of strong math and programming backgrounds. But you also have to be creative and have knowledge of the financial industry. It's the combination that made me interested in the field.

AT: In what type of role would you like to start?

Bellicha: Right now I'm interested in valuation and simulation of instruments and a few other areas, such as algorithmic trading and modeling in general. I'm leaning more toward research modeling and algorithm development.

AT: What do you see yourself doing in two years? In 10 years?

Bellicha: First of all, when you go from a university to the real world, you start realizing there is a big difference. No matter how practical the courses are, there is a real difference between work and school. So at first there will be a learning curve when I'll observe and ask questions to benefit from other people's experience. In two years I hope to gain experience and exposure to what the firm has to offer and get more and more responsibilities. In 10 years I hope to grow within the company and reach a senior position and ultimately play a significant role in the company's success.

AT: Name three firms you'd like to work for.

Bellicha: I'm more interested in finding a firm that deals with areas that I find interesting. I'm excited about Duff & Phelps and would love to continue there full time.

AT: What sets you apart from other quant candidates?

Bellicha: I have the programming background and a solid math background, but after going through the M.F.E. program, I found that is not that uncommon. What sets me apart is the fact that I come from a different background. I left everything behind in Israel and started from scratch. So I can adjust to new situations quickly and deal with unfamiliar environments. I think that's a plus.

AT: If you were on a job interview and were able to ask only three questions of your potential employer what would they be?

Bellicha: I'd ask the interviewer about his or her background: Why did he or she choose to work at that company, and what keeps him or her there?

I would also want to know more about what I would be doing there: What's a typical day at the office? What responsibilities would I have, and what would be expected of me?

The third question would be more about the company: Where is the growth, and what are the short- and long-term goals of the company?

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