Prop Trading to HF

Hey guys,

Going to start at a pretty big Chicago Prop Trading fund as a Quant Trader (think Optiver, Akuna, IMC). I was wondering what the career progression is into HF especially on the quantitative side of things. Was mainly wondering if I could eventually move into some NY shops like CitSec, Jane Street, etc. or if it is pretty much impossible. Thx

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Yes, you can eventually shift into a Citadel Sec, Jane Street, etc. type firm and move to New York, but keep in mind those firms are also primarily market makers / HFT, not hedge funds. Switching to the hedge fund side (e.g. D.E. Shaw, Two Sigma, etc.) in a research role will be harder, because the kind of work is further away from what you will be developing experience in at a prop shop. However, when you are young (i.e. do not have a high comp expectation) and technically talented, you can pretty fluidly move across firms (or even tech) as long as you can crack the interviews. 

 

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