Brokerage to prop

Was hoping to get people’s thoughts on making the move from brokerage to prop.

Currently I am a Derivatives Trading Specialist at one of the biggest brokerages in the US and am located in Chicago. I take calls from retail clients and execute more complex multi-legged options trades on their behalf as well as educate them, etc.

Does any one have any insight into making a move over to prop trading? Does brokerage experience have any relevance at all here or will I need to possibly go get my masters in a STEM field. (For reference I have an bachelors in Finance).

In terms of preparing, I am reading several books i.e. Options Pricing and Volatility by Sheldon Natenburg as well as following along Python for Data Science by Wes McKinney to get my python skills in order. Also practicing my mental math / probability.

Tips and thoughts are appreciated.

1 Comments
 

Voluptatem consequatur qui debitis sunt voluptas. Iure qui inventore cum alias nam. Sit ab eos error. Consequatur maiores suscipit ut et sed et impedit facilis.

Optio aliquam recusandae rerum quod iusto rerum. Incidunt in eligendi omnis enim. Placeat adipisci eum qui in. Nihil corporis sint quis porro sed id. Ut rem voluptas impedit nemo qui laudantium recusandae. Error quas sit maxime est neque magni sit.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (47) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (74) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”