So How does one become a Quant

Short answer (quote from a panelist): "DUMB LUCK"!!

It was a neat event put together by IAFE and Haas. The panel was moderated by Domingo Tavella (who also teaches in the MFE program). The other speakers were recent graduates as well as seasoned experts. While I can't go into the discussion at length, I quickly want to jot down some interesting tidbits.

• Get ready for 14 hour work days (70 hour weeks), it could be working at work, or home, or on the subway, But it could be as much as 14 hours of brain work.
• Ph.D.'s have a huge advantage for pure quant and research positions. As one of the panelists put it - A science or engineering Ph.D. coupled with a MFE is probably equal or more useful to employers than a finance Ph.D. Four out of six panelists had Ph.D.s
• Whats up with all those questions on compensation.. and corporate culture. Looks like people have only 2 perceptions about fianance professionals - cut-throats and highly paid. However, there was some discussion on some quant groups being treated as cost centers at desks.
• Financial engineering is slowing cutting across industry verticals - energy, insurance, etc.