Corn and Computer Science – Blog #1

Hi, my name is Eric and I live in Louisville KY. I Currently work in commodities trading, specifically agricultural products like corn and soybeans (my first degree was in Ag Economics). I have been working in this field the last 10 years, and I have been pursuing a second degree in Computer Science part time with the goal of combining my experiences in commodities trading and software engineering.

Why did you choose Computer Science?:

Early in my career I found a passion for Excel, and quickly became known as “The Excel Guy” at work. I loved automating things and building formulas, and I spent most of my time performing data analysis tasks. As a natural next step, I started to teach myself programming to help with those tasks. Although I was considering being self-taught, I knew if I wanted to break into Quantitative Trading I would need the fundamental knowledge a CS degree would bring.

Why did you choose the project on the survey? What makes them interesting to you?

I requested projects related to either financial market, or data analysis. With my number 1 choice being Cloud-Based Optimization of Algorithmic Stock Market Trading Strategies. I have been involved in trading and finacial markets for a long time now, and my goal has always been to become a Quantitative trader or Developer, so this project seems like a great fit.

Why type of person are you in terms of a group dynamic?

Of course the answer will depend on the makeup of the group, from my experience so far I would say leader or communicator. I have met alot of others with more programming experience (some people are already software developers at this point in the program) so someone else may be a better technical leader. However I do have experience running a trading team and delivering on business objectives, so I am hoping to add value with that experience.