Making into Prop/Quant Trading
Background
I'm in my final semester for a financial economics degree at a target school. Honestly, my GPA is atrocious with the degree deferred by a few semesters with virtually no relevant work experience. To be completely transparent, for most of my degree I hated it and was completely lost on what I wanted to do with my life and struggled with finding anything that felt purposeful or meaningful to me. I've grown out of that now and promised to myself regardless of that, I was going to pursue life with some drive and proactively find that meaning or passion.
My parents had encouraged me into trading at a young age from primary school, and there was a period where I actively traded with simulation accounts and spent all my time reading books about great traders like reminiscences of a stock operator. But over time, I drifted away from that interest from burnout in high school, whilst somewhat following a finance route on autopilot.
Akuna 201 Options Course
Apologies for that long introduction, but recently I was selected for a final round interview at Akuna, which I bombed, for a junior trader role from the Akuna options 201 course. That awoke a passion in me and never in the last few years of my life had I felt so alive and fascinated by something, as when I was preparing and studying in those past two weeks.
I understand it's extraordinarily difficult to break into quant, especially with my degree and academic history. But I'm so obsessed, I'll spend my whole life dedicated to making it and becoming the best if I have to. And I was wondering what I can do to improve my chances?
My transcript is terrible so a masters in financial engineering is most likely not an option. But what kind of side-projects can I work on to get past the CV/transcript screening more easily (relatively fluent in python)? I was lucky that the Akuna junior trader role didn't check for a transcript surprisingly. So are there similar roles that often don't put so much emphasis on a transcript/CV?
I'm currently studying hull and natenberg, whilst working on brain teasers/probability questions from a few other books, for interviews. I'm currently working on the heard on the street book, are there any other similar must-have books? Also what other aspects of interviews will likely come up and how can I prepare for them (sequences, mental math, market making games etc)?
If it's also relevant, I have a few chess accomplishments reaching the state/national levels during high school and enjoy poker pretty regularly.
Thank you so much if you've read all this, and I understand I have a higher chance of setting up my own market-making firm than breaking into quant...but I'm determined because even trying and failing is more enjoyable than any other alternative life I had prior to this.
TLDR:
Need tips for making into trading with these as my main questions:
- But what kind of side-projects can I work on to get past the CV/transcript screening more easily (relatively fluent in python)?
- What additional activities can I do to make up for my weak CV & transcript?
- Are there similar roles that relatively don't put so much emphasis on a transcript/CV?
- What must-have books are there for making through interviews?
- Also what other aspects of interviews will likely come up and how can I prepare for them (sequences, mental math, market making games etc)?
- What other routes can I take to transfer into trading?
To break into prop/quant trading with your background, here’s a focused game plan based on the most helpful WSO content:
1. Side Projects to Boost Your CV
2. Activities to Compensate for a Weak CV/Transcript
3. Roles That De-emphasize Transcripts
4. Must-Have Books for Interview Prep
5. Interview Preparation
6. Alternative Routes into Trading
Final Thoughts
Your chess and poker background is a huge asset. Highlight these accomplishments in interviews to demonstrate your strategic thinking, risk management, and ability to perform under pressure. Combine this with strong Python projects, networking, and relentless preparation, and you’ll significantly improve your chances of breaking into trading. Remember, persistence and passion often outweigh a rocky start!
My general sense is that historically grit had counted for more than academic achievements at many prop trading firms but less so in the quant world. The other barrier you face is most bigger firms recruit university students via on campus recruiting and have a separate process for experienced hires but don't usually recruit recent grads without any work experience. I think networking can overcome the latter barrier especially at smaller firms where the campus recruiting process is not as structured and then doing very well on brainteasers/coding could land you the full time position but it will definitely be an uphill struggle.
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