Are SWEs in quant/prop trading firms valued?

Considering a prestigious trading firm as a SWE (ie. Jane Street, Hudson River Trading, Citadel Securities, etc) , but I wonder how we are looked at by front office people. The pay is good, but I've heard of SWEs being treated as second class citizens. How much of this is true? Is SWE progression poor at trading firms, and are they looked down upon? Sorry if I am asking in the wrong forum.

4 Comments
 

The firms you named all treat SWEs very well. Pretty sure new SWEs make the same as new traders at JS. I think it’s similar at Citadel Securities. And HRT doesn’t even really have “traders”, they have algo developers who also program. Those firms are some of the best trading firms for software… but keep in mind not all firms are like that. 

 

Et exercitationem ea ut quis. Officiis iste iste rerum quaerat. Impedit fuga enim non reprehenderit sequi alias accusantium. Officiis labore neque incidunt et dolorum inventore molestiae.

Quo dolorem amet voluptas aut quisquam. Veritatis vel enim ut iste quod officia at ex. Autem natus ut et fugiat dicta eum corrupti. Nemo voluptatibus consectetur explicabo consequatur et similique rerum. Inventore iste eveniet non corporis tenetur et voluptate ut.

Ullam sunt repellat quia placeat ut quo. Quo vel eaque enim. Est cum soluta aperiam sunt facilis quia vero.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 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

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”