Today, any career in finance requires at least a familiarity with financial engineering. Whether you go to work at an investment bank, a hedge fund, an insurance company, or in government treasuries or regulatory agencies, these techniques will continue to shape the landscape of your job. Thus, understanding how to use financial engineering approaches and how they impact financial problems is a valuable asset regardless of your role in this industry.

If you have a particular talent for applied mathematics and computer science, you can pursue a lucrative career in financial engineering yourself, as quantitative analysts or “quants” are some of the most highly sought after professionals in the industry. “Back office” quants generally build and validate complex financial engineering tools, while “front office” quants work directly with traders to help them deploy the pricing and trading tools they need.

Absolutely. Coursera offers a wide range of courses in financial engineering as well as related areas of this interdisciplinary field, including business, computer science, and mathematics and statistics. These courses as well as multi-course Specializations are offered by some of the top undergraduate and business schools in the country, including Columbia University, Yale University, and the University of Pennsylvania.

In addition to being able to learn remotely on your own schedule, these courses are also available at a significantly lower tuition than their on-campus counterparts. Thus, you won’t need a spreadsheet to determine that learning about financial engineering online is a smart investment in your future, whether you’re just starting your career or are an experienced finance professional looking to update your understanding of this vital topic.