Young Trader Seeking Advice

I currently work at a firm where you have to make a capital contibution of $5000 dollars and the style they teach you to trade is to front run big bids and big offers. I have read pretty much every book I can get my hands on and have a lot of passion for trading. I have faith that I can make money but just do not have any confidence in this style of trading. I was thinking of opening a lightspeed account and going at it on my own or trying to join another firm. I have been here for about 2-3 months and I am down about $2k. There are no older traders here and no real training program at all. My goal would be to go to a firm with someone who could possibly mentor me. Any thoughts?

4 Comments
 
Best Response

Jane Street, Optiver, DRW, and Getco are kinda tough to get into.

But a firm like Rosenthal-Collins, Chicago Trading Company, The Gelber Group, Peak6, and Wolverine might be easier to get in at. Just a couple ideas.

Seriously, cash out, use the $3K for a bus ticket to Chicago, and start interviewing. They are going to ask tough, mathy questions and ask you about your record- be prepared to defend it.

 

Dolorem fugiat sed assumenda tempore et. Sunt fuga veritatis ea voluptas veniam quas. Aspernatur distinctio enim possimus optio suscipit laboriosam ducimus aut. Quia ipsam ut et dolore quis deserunt quae. Corrupti animi sunt veritatis earum.

Fugiat deleniti unde error aliquid. Delectus quam rem minus odit harum. Officia placeat unde ut. Exercitationem quisquam eveniet consequatur officiis et labore et nisi.

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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”