Practicing Python
Hi all,
I just wrapped up my Python coding class for the semester and felt pretty good about it. It was a level 100 course so pretty surface level stuff but I feel like I at least know how to correct basic mistakes and how the general format should look like. I was wondering if any of you had any recommendations on what I should do for practicing or getting better specifically for an internship on a trading desk. I'd like to stick to a pretty non-quant desk like HY Credit , but I know for a rotational program I'd get exposed to the whole spectrum. Physical Commodities is actually my dream but pretty unrealistic at this point.
Thanks,
WMC
To sharpen your Python skills for a trading desk internship, here are some targeted recommendations based on the most helpful WSO content:
Focus on Data Manipulation and Analysis:
Work on Data Sourcing:
Automate Tasks:
Build Small Projects:
Visualization Tools:
Linux and Command Line:
Practice Real-World Scenarios:
Recommended Tutorials:
By focusing on these areas, you'll not only improve your Python skills but also align them with the practical needs of a trading desk. Good luck!
Sources: 0 to pseudo quant real quick - analytical skills for juniors with finance background, Programming/Technical Skills for Finance: SQL and Python, Programming/Technical Skills for Finance: SQL and Python
Hi all, I just learned how to type so I’m wondering how to get the pulitzer prize. I know where all the letters are.
Learn the packages. Pytorch, Numpy, Matplotlib are the big ones. Those allow you to do data work.
I'd also suggest just doing all your excel work in python too. If you can, just do something in excel, then try it out in python. Getting reps is everything in programming.
just started a grad program in physical commodities. my educational background is in engineering and finance so i have a little exposure to python prior to starting. I would say the most important thing is being able to read code. realistically, you are going to be using AI or some assistive tool to code and whats crucial is that you can evaluate what it writes and prompt it correctly, making changes that lead you in the write direction. also knowing the extent of what you can do is really important I think. at the level you and I are at we have only touched 5% of pythons capabilities, so constantly learning, reading documentation or looking at examples on youtube is really useful. Both in terms of content and standard procedure with code which makes it readable.
As to what you will be coding, i expect data transformation and automation of manual processes at the beginning and then eventually time series models.
As to your career aspirations in physical commodities, i think a great starting point is in a more back office role, be it operations, analyst, risk. Its a typical starting point for commodity traders. its an excellent opportunity to learn about the processes behind a trade, learning about the market and feeling out whether you will like working within this industry. timeline to becoming a trader can vary depending on availability of trading seats (trader turnover) or the company expanding.
best of luck
Why do you think physical commodities is not realistic for you now? Ag companies will hire any warm body and pay you like shit until you prove yourself/quit. But the opp is there for anyone that wants it.
I come from an extreme non target with no alumni on the street. S&T is already a pipe dream for me and commodity trading has even less seats available.
I'm about 230 applications in at this point and haven't gotten a single interview or superday invite. I've recruited to every single financial path I think of: S&T, IB,PWM, AM, Private Banking, WM, Commerical Banking, Corp Dev, Corp Fin, Risk, Operations. You name it, I've applied and been rejected from it.
I've hit up both ends of the spectrum in terms of size. From Regional MM's like Provident and PNC to BB's like Deutsche I've gotten the same result.
I've done networking and have literally been told "do not apply to our bank we do not hire from your kind of school" and people tell me they will not write a referral.
I have come to accept I am far below what the average candidate is nowadays. Im not sure why I even made the orginal post.
Non target or target. It Doesn't matter as long as you get one internship in the commodity world you will get looks. This is coming from someone from a non target who's in the industry
Have you applied to Louis Dreyfus, Cargill, ADM, Bunge, Scoular, Andersons, or Seaboard? If you really want it, and you have what it takes, your foot in the door is all you need and those companies will generally let a lot of people get their foot in the door.
There's a million posts on here on how to break into commodities. Forget the traditional bank recruiting timelines for IB/S&T you missed those and frankly there's better ways to break in. Focus on entry level ops/analyst positions, nobody is going to let you run risk without you knowing anything about the industry.
Many thanks and don't want to hijack the post. But do you think ag commods trading is a lucrative career compared with other products? It seems that ag is less sexy and discussed here.
On average, ags are less lucrative than energy/metals assuming you can land a seat there. Landing a seat is a huge assumption though. Someone doing well in a good seat in ags is going to be making more than an ops/analyst in energy, most likely. On top of that, often times you're not competing with the Jane Streets of the world for edge. That certainly helps. Another way to put it is that ags is a smaller pond but you have a better chance of being a big fish. Lifestyle is also different between the two. Successful guys on the ag side often work less than 40 hours/week. Vacations are frequent in winter when crops aren't growing many places.
If the only thing you care about is money, and you're incredibly confident in your ability to be a top dog, go for an energy role. If 1-2mm/year is enough for you and you also value other things in life outside of work, ags has enough upside. If you don't have what it takes to be a trader and you end up in a support role somewhere then energy/metals is also probably a better bet.
Another wrinkle is that ags is a lot easier to break into and if you're good then you can leverage that into energy adjacent role if that is really what you want. Ethanol and soybean oil are big inputs to finished crude products.
I would attribute the lack of discussion on this board to the fact that ag roles often times are not in NYC and that is the main focus of this board.
All that said, I would go for an energy role if you can but going for ags as as second choice still offers a lot of upside.
First off, love the name.
My first recommendation is building your skills in structuring Python programs and object-oriented programming (University of Helsinki’s Online, self-paced Programming courses are A1 at teaching this)
If you are already confident in this area, I’d further recommend using datasets from a provider such as Kaggle and trying to answer a question that YOU want answered. Learning through experimentation has been the most useful for me.
Feel free to DM
Good advice on this
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