Developer to Global Macro Fund Manager - Any advice would be appreciated

Hi guys,

This is my first time posting here. I would really appreciate any advice on my current situation:

Where I am: male, mid 20's, master of CS major(non-target school I guess), started working as a developer half a year ago, currently supporting an equity trading desk(flow) in a small IB.

My goal: Didn't think I would be interested in finance, but long story short, now my ultimate goal is to be a global macro fund manager(like Dalio/Soros/Bass/Kovner etc.) or similar roles, who understands how the world and markets work (more focused on fundamentals, as opposed to quant)

What are some of the common entry level jobs that can help me acquire the necessary knowledge and experience? research analyst,desk strategist, portfolio analyst?

And given my current knowledge/experience, I am not sure how I could get there. Maybe I could:

  1. go back to school and get a finance degree: Financial Engineering may not be what I want to do, so Master of Finance or MBA seems to be the way. Given my current background, assuming a high GMAT and CFA level II or III, generally what kind of program can I get into and how is the job outlook? I am not sure if I should also consider Economics PhD? Seems daunting to stay in school for another 4-5 years and not sure how useful an econ degree is.

  2. keep doing what I do, try to be a trader at some point. It seems quite random and not sure how much time it will take or how much being a flow trader would contribute to my goal.

  3. try to network my way into other teams in the firm, say, research. But I have to say I am not good at networking with people.

  4. back to a target school, get another CS degree: Basically restart and go for the Global Markets Program in many banks. Don't like this idea a lot,as I have lost interest in CS already.

I'd greatly appreciate your advice and thoughts. Thank you.

Dan

2 Comments
 

You gotta make up your own mind. There is no such thing as the right path. My advice is apply for graduate school, Master of Finance or MBA for top program. Or try to shoot for smaller firm who would give you a shoot at it. If you read most of the thread on this forum, there are only three things you can do 1) build technical skills, 2) network your way through 3) on repeat. There is no magic formula, just long hours of putting yourself in front of people.

"I am the hero of the story. I don't need to be saved."
 
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