SBS Blog > Trading bootcamp: amplifying finance learning by Yuan Tzu Chieh

Trading bootcamp: amplifying finance learning

By Yuan Tzu Chieh - Posted on 23 February 2023

Tzu-Chieh Yuan is a student from Taiwan, taking the MSc Investment and Finance at Strathclyde. As part of the course, she participated in the Amplify Trading bootcamp and here she shares her experience of it.

I was an accountant in Taiwan with a dream to study abroad before I came to Strathclyde to study the MSc Investment and Finance.

Having worked as an accountant for several years, I started to think about my future career life and decided to prepare for IELTS and search out university information. I found out Strathclyde’s teaching ethos has a practical slant, not just theory and this is the main reason why I chose this course. The second reason is that the MSc in Investment and Finance has an elective option: you can choose from Behavioural Finance, Empirical Methods in Finance, Finance Modelling with Excel or Fixed Income Analysis. The course also provides opportunities such as the Amplify Trading Bootcamp. Compared with other universities I thought Strathclyde would be useful to improve my professional skills and it would be an impressive experience in my life.

Taking part in the Bootcamp was a great decision – overall, it’s a very impressive experience, especially the financial trading simulation. We learned strategies from the pre-camp online material and induction sessions during the boot camp then put our learning into practice at the week-long bootcamp. Everyone at the Bootcamp has a dream to work in an investment company – well, we got that experience!

There were different challenges every day. We had to trade as asset managers or trading bankers. Each day we were told, as part of the simulation, the important news, whether IMF (International Monetary Fund) had released good or bad updates and then we needed to focus on the market trends. After the first day, students were all used to the system and making instant trading decisions. As the challenge changed, getting harder, it became a more nerve-wracking experience. We needed to earn maximum profit as well as meeting risk limits and client related requirements. When it came to dividends, people needed to judge different financial instruments. The bootcamp gave us the feel of a ‘real life’ opportunity instead of just theoretical classroom learning.

On the final day, the students came together on campus to work in groups (allocated by Amplify, so we had to collaborate with people we had just met) to undertake an IPO of a company which was also a competition for all involved. To be successful teams had to complete their own IPO and then also allocate funds in the other IPO pitches. The bootcamp has been the best experience in the MSc so far - I would recommend that students who want to join the banking industry take part in the bootcamp.

The course also provides other opportunities like Bloomberg training.We have also benefited from hearing from many alumni who work in the banking industry who have come in to share their career stories and students can ask questions or discuss their career plans.

I am enjoying my Masters experience – so far it’s been very fulfilling. Every day you need to read more and more articles and essays to improve your banking abilities. Despite it being a little hard for me as an international student, living in a new country and not speaking the native language, I believe that it is a gift for us to challenge ourselves and create a new life in Glasgow.