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A career in quantitative finance started with a dating app for Joshua Nji of Cameroon. While completing a bachelor’s degree in software engineering, he and a classmate developed a matchmaking platform.

“Me and my friends were really good, so we developed some applications,” Joshua says. “We started talking about shares and who would own the software. That’s how I got exposed to finance.”

Joshua’s curiosity grew. He earned a corporate finance certificate before graduating and secured a corporate finance internship in Cameroon. He enjoyed the work, so he started looking for ways to combine his computer background with his new passion.

The logical next step was a graduate degree in quantitative finance. Joshua had the passion and skills. The problem was cost and distance. High-quality programs existed but were too expensive and too far away for Joshua. His solution was a Master of Science in Financial Engineering at WorldQuant University.

“Somehow, it was just so magical,” Joshua says. “I discovered there was WorldQuant University, which offered this exact program with the combination of finance, programming, and mathematics for free.”

Joshua spent the next two years working his way through the online, accredited program, which he completed in 2022.

“I enrolled without hesitation,” he says. “And I was able to follow through the program while working in corporate finance.”

Now Joshua supervises Sazience Academy, a cooperative program between WorldQuant University and Sazience Technology, a digital transformation consulting firm operating in the Middle East and Africa. The academy opened in October 2025 with five students from WorldQuant University’s Applied Data Science Lab.

During the eight-week academy, participants received stipends, laptops, workspaces, and mentoring from Joshua in Douala, Cameroon. After finishing the academy and certificate program, the five students enrolled in the same Master of Science program that helped launch Joshua’s career.

Joshua is now preparing to supervise new Sazience Academy students in Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire.

“Sazience Academy was set in place to bridge the talent gap,” Joshua says. “Many students finish school without practical market knowledge. We are trying to develop as much talent as possible to meet the data analysis and financial engineering needs in Africa.”