AFAM: Hello Maxime, and thank you for being with us today. You are a Graduate engineering student majoring in Finance at MIT. Could you please tell us a few words about the road that led you to Arts et Metiers and most importantly why and when you decided to become an engineer and then go into finance?
Maxime:
Growing up I was really interested in science, especially in maths and physics, so I decided to do prépa. I had that idea, as stereotypical as it sounds, that I wanted to create something to change the world, and that's what led me to Arts et Métiers.
But what actually shifted my trajectory was my year at Georgia Tech. I discovered finance and machine learning, and both surprised me by how much I enjoyed them. That's what pushed me to explore finance more deeply.
Back in France, I did an internship in investment banking in Paris, then turned down the full-time offer to launch an investment banking boutique running M&A and fundraising deals for West African startups – something at the intersection of my interest in founding a startup and changing the world through financial transactions. It was formative: I had the chance to work on real, decisive deals in countries where macro conditions shaped every transaction.
What I realized, as interesting as it was, is that I was missing the quantitative side of finance, and that I was becoming more drawn to how the markets were moving than to the deals themselves. That's what led me to apply to the Master of Finance at MIT, to deepen my quantitative background.
AFAM: Could you tell us a bit more about your life and studies at MIT? What do you enjoy the most about your education journey?
Maxime:
MIT is a lot of work. The program is structured into three semesters with a summer internship between the second and the third. The fall semester is particularly intense because internship recruiting runs in parallel with classes, but the classes themselves are fascinating, and the professors are some of the best in the world. The same goes for the people: you're surrounded by some of the brightest minds you'll ever meet, and that pushes me every day.
I mainly study statistics, computer science, and finance, from financial markets to macroeconomics. I even had the chance to attend a lecture given by Jerome Powell, the Chair of the Federal Reserve, which was a pretty unique experience. Among all of that, machine learning applied to finance is my favorite subject.
AFAM: What piece of advice would you give to engineering students who would like to work in Finance?
My first piece of advice would be to understand that finance is extremely broad. Investment banking, private equity, asset management, sales and trading, quant research: these are very different jobs with very different skill sets, so the first step is figuring out which aspect actually interests you.
Second, network. More and more engineering students are pivoting into finance, and the best way to learn what the industry really looks like is to reach out to people who are already there. Call them, ask questions, and start learning finance on your own in parallel.
Third, if you're interested in research, trading, or related roles, I'd suggest applying to the Parcours US and doing an MS in Operations Research, or independently to a Master of Finance. These programs are genuinely useful: they give you the technical foundation and put you on track for recruiting in a way that's very hard to replicate on your own.
Finally, do finance-oriented internships and projects as early as possible. Nothing teaches you more than actually being at the desk, and it's also what recruiters look at most when you apply for full-time roles.
AFAM: Can you share a little bit about your future plans?
Maxime:
I’m going to be a Trader at Barclays for my summer internship and hope to pursue in this path after MIT. I’d love to work on complex derivatives products either in trading or structuring.
AFAM: You live in Cambridge, MA. How do you like it? How do you spend your free time?
Maxime:
Cambridge is great, very intellectual with Harvard and MIT right next to each other, and you really feel that energy walking around. That said, after living in Paris, it can feel pretty quiet.
In my free time I run with friends, go to Harvard college football games, and enjoy nights out around the city. We have a favorite rooftop right next to Harvard called Felipe's that's basically become our HQ.
AFAM: thank you, Maxime!
MIT in winter time
Harvard football game
Pictures - courtesy of Maxime
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