How Does Career Progression in S&T Compare with that as a SWE in Tech (FAANG)

I have an Amazon offer with the following in comp:

~111k base, 42k signing bonus, 32k retention bonus in second year, and 100k stock bonus (vested over 4 years, backloaded schedule though)

I might get a full time offer as an Analyst as a FO Quant at a sell side trading desk. While I've interned on this desk, I'm not sure what the pay will be (I think it's 85 base), or what bonuses look like. But since I'm based in Canada, I don't think the S&T offer will match Amazon. However, I'm not really concerned with pay starting out, more so how it is down the line. While my interests align stronger with trading, since I only have a CS background as opposed to math/stats, will I be required to get an MFE/MMF to move up in the S&T route? Honestly this part sort of worries me, since while I like doing math/probability brain teasers in my spare time, I don't know how I would compare with someone with an undergrad focusing on this stuff, or a PhD or something (my MD, along with at least a couple of the traders on the desk were PhDs). And of course, there's the cost of the masters itself.

How's pay as an Associate or VP for S&T in Canada? How likely is it for someone to make it to VP? What about exit ops (I suppose tech and the buy side are two potential exit ops, but are there others)?

Thanks!

4 Comments
 

Sell-side quant is a well-paid support function AFAIK. Pay progression is probably similar to Amazon SWE on average. However, as a sell-side quant you can potentially exit into a QR role at quant HF or transition into a risk-taking trading seat where your potential earnings are way higher than both sell-side quant and big tech SWE.

 
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You sure this is Amazon swe? That isn't the standard new grad offer at all. I don't know the seattle offers off the top of my head but I'm pretty sure ny/bay base is at 145-150 now so seattle at worst should be 125-130.

You won't need a MFE to move up in s&t. Thats mostly for international chinese students and people who want to do s&t/quant but didn't recruit in college. PhDs are exceptions to the norm in s&t so you're fine there. 

Don't know too much about s&t other than from close contacts so can't answer the last three questions, but just know that you can always go from s&t -> swe at literally any company except the top 5 prop shops but you can't go from swe -> s&t. 

 

I'm based in Toronto, so the pay here is a bit lower (well, quite a bit lower than NY/Bay). While it's possible to go from S&T to SWE, redoing the leetcode grind is not ideal lol, especially since it seems to get harder every year. 

 

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