Best Route to HF?

I'm a freshman in college who got bit by the HF bug after stumbling across and watching too many Ackman interviews. I know unequivocally that I want to work at a HF. Reading about the markets all day and actually investing is a dream job.

I'm just as certain that I don't really want to work in ib at all, but is the 2 years seen as a necessary prerequisite for a career in finance? Not necessarily in terms of learning technicals and training, but more as being able to say, "I did my two years in the trenches." I get the feeling that these two years out of college are a kind of rite of passage into finance, but if I can manage to get a job in the buy-side right out of college somehow, should I pass up on the ib experience?

Thanks for any responses

3 Comments
 

hedge funds are not a monolithic beast.

the career track for a fundamental hedge fund differs to a tactical/discretionary trading hedge fund which differs to a quant hedge fund.

Was obsessed with finance, now do product in tech
 
Most Helpful

Illo aperiam tempore pariatur provident in. Et recusandae quia aperiam quasi neque magni. Aperiam quisquam perspiciatis maxime maxime rem. Itaque facilis culpa voluptatum est reprehenderit. Consequatur dolore consequatur deserunt debitis et. Laudantium cupiditate aliquid ea repellendus illo amet. Rerum quae et placeat id mollitia dicta nostrum. Et eius consectetur temporibus quos provident ratione.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Point72 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.0%
  • Citadel Investment Group 97.0%
  • AQR Capital Management 96.0%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.0%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Magnetar Capital 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.0%
  • Blackstone Group 97.0%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.0%
  • Two Sigma Investments 94.9%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Hedge Fund

  • AQR Capital Management 99.0%
  • Point72 98.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 97.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.1%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.1%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Portfolio Manager (9) $1,648
  • Vice President (27) $464
  • Director/MD (11) $372
  • NA (9) $320
  • Engineer/Quant (83) $287
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (26) $284
  • Manager (4) $282
  • 2nd Year Associate (32) $253
  • 1st Year Associate (76) $193
  • Analysts (234) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (29) $145
  • Junior Trader (5) $102
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (276) $95
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”