Age and when to apply

When is the best time to apply to a prop trading firm (not as an undergrad)? Does it roll all year or are there generally certain recruiting times?

How old is too old to get in? I'm 25 and am now leaning towards wanting to get into trading, but want to do a bunch of other things so don't see myself applying for ~5 years.

My plan will be to apply then and if I fail try to get an MBA then apply via recruiting there. Sound good?

What are the best things I could be doing during this ~5 year period aside from reading some trading books?

Trading on my own? Wouldn't know what I'm doing/don't the prop firms train you so spending a ton of time to become a mediocre trader when I could just wait for their training seems annoying.

Some finance related internship?

4 Comments
 

I'm currently getting my MFE and I'm older than you. I've made it to final rounds with a few prop trading firms and my age has always come up. The question is usually, "How would you handle the possibility of working for somebody that's younger than you?" As long as I'm learning from somebody and I respect them, I really don't care if my boss or the person yelling at me is younger than me. But I think there's a perception among the prop shops that older candidates with no previous trading experience may not handle that situation too well. I don't think my age is the reason I got dinged but it may have played a small part.

Take my view with a grain of salt. I haven't been on the other side of the interview table to tell you what goes on when they assess candidates.

 
Higheck123How did they figure out your age?

I had a number of years of work experience in technology before pursuing my MFE. You can just look at the dates corresponding to my undergrad days and work experience to figure out my age. I don't think employers are allowed to directly ask your age during the interview process.....I could be wrong about this.

 

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