From poker to prop-trading
A little bit about myself:
I'm 21 years old and a rising senior at a small (yet selective) liberal arts college, though certainly not considered in the realm of a 'target school' for prop-trading. I'm also returning from taking my spring semester off of college in which I played live poker full time (40h/week+) in Las Vegas, playing almost entirely 2-5/5-10 NLH and PLO cash games with both good results and as reasonable of a sample size as five months of live poker can produce (though online grinders will surely find that last sentence laughable). I have AP credits from high-school, so I still plan to graduate school on time, within the standard 4-year window.
And though I'm confident I could make a decent living grinding live poker (somewhere in the neighborhood of $40-$70/hr with my current skill-set), the poker lifestyle is not something I want for myself long-term, for reasons that are largely irrelevant to this post. I have also been relatively successful with arbitraging low-volume, inefficient sports-betting markets, though not nearly as successful as poker.
Unfortunately for this topic, I am a student of the humanities (English and journalism) and wondering what my chances of getting an interview with any decent prop-shops are, as I assume leveraging poker (and maybe sports betting?) is my only real chance in this process, if at all.
If it helps, I consider myself to be a near-obsessive autodidact and have been reading books about markets and predictions for years as well as recently trying to teach myself a more advanced level of statistics and probability through free online resources, as I understand interviews in prop-trading to be math-intensive, especially for a humanities major, as I will surely have a lot to prove if I do somehow get a foot in the door.
So I guess I am asking if I'm delusional in trying to get into this field? And any advice for someone in this position?
I am genuinely fascinated by the markets, game theory, human psychology, and such a level of high-stakes decision making and truly wish that I studied something more applicable throughout school, but here I am left with a knowledge of Dickens that doesn't seem all too useful in the financial markets and a healthy resentment for my eighteen-year old self that made these decisions for me. Going back to school for something else is not an option at this moment (regarding both time and finances).
I do consider myself an intensively analytical person with a mind for quantitative pursuits, but at some point down the line I thought I wanted to be a writer/teacher as a career. This is no longer the case.
Thanks for reading. Any and all information is appreciated!
SIG sounds like your place
Looks like your focus initial focus on the humanities has helped to hone your writing skills and ability to articulate a compelling story. Live Poker @ $70/HR and Crypto Gambling Arbitrage will make for very sexy stories come interview time. Whether you pass a quant test will be a matter of technical interview guide study.
At the end of the day, you come off as someone to have a beer with, and that’s huge. Stay interesting my man.
Managed to land a job at a solid prop-shop and just recently accepted the offer (not Akuna, just to clarify, as I mentioned above) - this is as specific as I'm going to be on that matter. Thanks again to everyone who offered advice on this forum. You guys were super helpful. If anyone has any questions for me regarding the process or anything else feel free to ask or send me a PM, as I'm always happy to pay it forward. With that being said, my work is just beginning. Cheers!
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