Quantitative jobs outside NYC?

I'm in my early 30s, considering a career change into finance. I have strong enough math/CS skills that I think I'd have a shot at a top-tier quant HF or prop firm.

My question is whether, given that skillset, there are jobs outside NYC that could come close to NYC comp (after CoL). Maybe energy trading or a smaller HF? Or is NYC the only real option for a competitive salary?

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I don't think that's going to be enough for a fund to trust your models. At the very, very least you're going to need some sort of data science certificate or something along those lines to gain some credibility. Otherwise, I just don't see this as being a wise move for you.

 
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