Q&A: 3 years software development to Power trading analyst at a supermajor

Hi..long time lurker, wanted to share some of my experiences going from software development (.NET c# and SQL development) and into a front office, trading analyst role on the power desk of an energy supermajor (bp/shell). for folks that have untraditional backgrounds (studied engineering, comp sci, etc..). Happy to explain how I made the switch after spending 3 years working in software development and what parts of my skillset helped me land the job and what my daily day-to-day looks like. current career path is moving towards power trading, which looks to be likely in the next few years. anyways, ask away!

7 Comments
 

I focus on the Northeast, primarily New York and New England. Right now I focus on capacity, term and ftr fundamentals to help the traders form a view on price. I leverage my software development experience to automate alot of the daily reporting for position and pnl estimates to are sent to my desk head. My desk primarily trades virtuals and term, so my focus is on those markets.

 

Basically was just tired of sitting and coding all day..and wanted something a little bit more real time instead of 3-6 month projects, so applied for trading analyst type roles. Being in Houston, a role opened up in commodotiies so I just went for it.

Here's the thing that people don't tell you..having technical skills in this business gives you a huge leg up because it's easier to find someone who has it and teach them business than vice versa. The desk that I'm on had some severely outdated processes, and was looking for someone greener but had that hard skill set so I could help them move to the 21st century.

 

Adipisci nostrum nemo sapiente hic. Est adipisci velit accusamus at. Maxime quo et sint velit ratione accusamus.

Placeat odio est voluptas aut et. Illo sint qui quisquam est consequatur. Maxime autem occaecati voluptas labore ea. Sequi id voluptatem et eveniet quia dolor quasi. Ut sed explicabo reiciendis quam qui est. Delectus consequuntur nulla sed quasi eum magni. Quia sint labore nobis quo.

Nisi corporis ducimus fuga est non esse beatae. Quae doloribus aut saepe velit.

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 (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”