Choose direction. IB FO intern / MO FT / prop FT ?

Hi all,

I just finished a physics PhD and want to do something more sociable, with more external pressure and a no-work-outside-the-office attitude. I don't mind working hard or long and I really like meeting people. I have good maths generally but zero stochastics/finance and no previous industry experience, so I'm not in a position to go for specialist things. I have three offers and I don't know how to choose.

I really hope you can give me a clue. My options are
1. risk management quant FT, for the risk group of BB bank
2. trader internship on an ETF desk of a european-BB bank
3. MM trader FT at Optiver

I probably want to go the IB route, because I hope for some flexibility in career progression later and I'm worried about prop shop exit opps (if, with low probability, it turns out I'm bad/don't like it; I hear not many people stay at that kind of company for 10 years). Can you go prop shop -> IB early in your career?

If I choose MO risk quant, am I stuck? Or can I do it for 1 year, quit, and go on to FO? Can you move into some interesting nerdy FO work like automated market making if you don't start there right out of uni?

If I choose 2., will I be able to get an FO job after? I've never seen a trader job advertised ...

Cheers A

 

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