Does anyone have any advice for setting work-life balance expectations at trading firms/hedge funds? I don't want to fall into the trap of working 60 hour weeks like I did during some of my internships.
| +21 | 3x SWE FAANG Intern -> Fundamental Analyst @ HF | 13 | 9h |
| +12 | Fund 1 8%, fund 2 5%, when will fund implode? | 5 | 6h |
| +3 | Castle Hook Partners | 0 | 5d |
| +3 | Disclosed non public fund performance to a headhunter | 3 | 3h |
| +3 | Dragoneer | 1 | 1d |
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60 hour weeks is the norm. If you want to be successful in this industry then you should not care about the hours. The people I know that make seven figures plus a year are the ones that work all the time and love what they do. Maybe making a ton of money is not the goal for you, which is absolutely fine.
However, you joined the wrong industry to work less than 60 hours a week. Would go to a long-only / family office shop if you are looking for a good work/life balance.
could you elaborate on hours at MM HF for junior research analysts? Hope to see another article from you soon!
Trading is generally 7/7.30am to 5.30/6pm but depends on what desk you are in I have colleagues in FX market making doing 8.30-5.30 and others doing fic on 7-5
Many quant funds have 40-50 hours per week as standard, similar to software firms. It's not about working a certain number of hours, but being efficient and producing results. I think HFT funds with shorter holding periods have longer hours, since they are more tied to daily market movements.
My experience starting on the trading desk was 60 hours for the first 3 years. As my responsibilities grew, reputation for good work earned me 8-6 hours, so 50 hrs. I didn't see anyone do any better than that. if you don't want to work these hours, you could save your money and start looking to get out.
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