Age obstacle?

Mid 40s here. Spent my first 10 years at the Fed, international division. 

Then quit. Passed CFA 1. Ran a toy fund with 80% return for a year, but that was a macro call, they don't come every year. Spent a couple of years teaching at univ. 

Anyway, would love to go to the buyside. I sometimes see economist jobs, mentionning central banks etc. Never heard back. 

I presume I am about 12 years late. Any thoughts? My career has been super diverse. I cover 180 degrees of all things macro and finance, except for quant stuff. 

Move on? Returning is so hard. 

Too old to switch?

Yep
44% (7 votes)
Nay
56% (9 votes)
Total votes: 16
7 Comments
 

I would love to do macro analysis, rates, get involved in the big picture, sentiment, as well as macro modeling as needed. But not a quant. I would stay in econ if they want me to. I just prefer the buy side as less bureaucratic and would rather be judged on the results. 

 
Most Helpful

I have similar questions. Trying to get into Trading at 40 after 15 years or so of doing private investments and managing businesses. 

Had a meeting with some guys in NY this week and was advised to get the CFA 1, and approach Family Offices and small hedge funds for an Operational/COO type role.  From there, it's possible to monkey branch into trading.
 

But yeah, getting a trading job at any legit hedge fund or IB at 40+ is very hard. You've gotta approach it from a unique angle and get your foot in the door in a non-trading role.  This was the advice I got from 4 guys in the business, just 2 days ago.

 

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