Google Software Developer to Quant?

Hello all I am a software developer who has worked at Google for the past two years since I graduated. Now I am faced with a career decision (or not?) of whether to possibly try to move to a position in finance. Fundamentally I have grown bored of my work at Google, as things have become fairly repetitive and monotonous here. I have a friend who works as a prop trader in Chicago, and the kind of work he describes sounds fairly interesting. Now I suppose my question is what kind of positions would I possibly be competitive for? Basically I understand that right now my financial knowledge is limited, so I don’t think I could contribute much immediately in that respect. Would I be competitive for positions writing trading algorithms and the like? I do not want to end up doing the same menial work I am here at Google, just in a finance environment, rather I hope to be able to contribute to automated trading systems and the like. My C++ knowledge is fairly strong, and I would rate my ability to program highly. The other factor that motivates me is that I was always fairly strong in math (good results on the AMC and AIME), and here at Google I use none of it. I consider myself lucky if sometimes I have to multiply a few numbers together. The other issue is sort of about compensation. My base right now is 120k, and with bonus and my annual RSU’s my total comp is just short of 180k, working about 45hrs a week. Now I understand that this might be putting the cart before the horse, however if I were to receive offers from respectable prop shops how competitive would it be relative to my current comp? Also from discussing the issue with a friend it seem that often times compensation can be much more variable, so if I were to receive an offer for say a 110k + undefined bonus, would it be reasonable to try and negotiate something along the lines of a guaranteed bonus? I general I suppose my questions are not very well defined relative to most here, but what I am curious about is if people think this is an idea worth pursuing. My friend sometimes becomes quite pessimistic about the future of prop trading, and the shrinking margins, and this discourages me. Am I just looking at this from a perspective of the grass being greener on the other side of the fence? Are there positions like I am imagining where one can work say 50hrs a week on trading strategies with good comp? Any and all input is greatly appreciated.