HF Analyst as a Second Job?
I discovered that I have a passion for medical science and I dream of running a lab. Up until now, I always thought I'd be in trading or private equity before pursuing my scientific interests - I'm a finance major and prop trader in college who's in a pretty good position to break into a banking stint. Now, I didn't choose finance just for the money - I really do enjoy investing... the analytic side to the business is right up my alley - but I don't wanna be a broke scientist scrambling for research grants, either. Not to mention all the grad-school debt. I'd rather be the Elon Musk of biology and privately fund my own projects.
I began thinking that I might be able to complete my PhD over 10-12 years (20 hrs/wk) while simultaneously climbing the hedge fund ladder (50-60 hrs/wk) after 2 years in banking. Factor-in sleep and gym time. Do you think a career like this would be feasible? If you currently work at a hedge fund, how much free time would you say you have to pursue your other goals and hobbies? What about part-time analyst positions at hedge funds that actually compensate - do these exist?
Any career/life advice would be welcome.
I might be wrong so take what I say with a grain of salt, but to my knowledge:
1) you won't find a part-time hedge fund job 2) you probably aren't able to complete a PhD over 10-12 years, you likely need to be more dedicated to it time-wise than that...for example, assuming you work at a HF 50-60 hours a week, when will you meet with your PhD advisor etc.? You may be happy working on your PhD late at night and on weekends when you're not working at the HF, but I doubt your advisor would want to meet at 10 pm on Wednesdays.
this idea is totally fucking insane
Hi Kigen,
Ignore the naysayers: my belief has always been that where there is a will, there is a way. Being the Elon Musk of Biology is no simple task and I applaud your valiance! The truth is, due to favorable stock market performance over the past 5 years, the hedge fund community is flush with cash and need more help now than ever. We need help deploying all of our excess capital! I operate a firm that helps talented and passionate individuals like yourself to master the art of stock market trading. We will provide quality training and state-of-the-art trading technology. The best part is that there is no pressure to perform, you operate on your own schedule, can work from home, and pocket the majority of your profits. Sound good?
-Jordan B.
There's basically 0% chance this will work. You're not going to find a legitimate PhD advisor that will agree to this arrangement. You're not going to find a hedge fund that will agree to this arrangement. This is a path better pursued in series rather than in parallel. It's more feasible for you to do a PhD and then move to finance/investing.
Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I gave this a lot of thought since this morning. Maybe this thread will help other students considering similar life decisions.
True, it would be very difficult to meet with my advisor, unless he/she worked weekends as well, although I assume the majority of people in the academic field would relish their weekends off to relax and spend time with their families, like most "normal" careers. I figured the advent of technology would make it easy to communicate regarding my dissertation through email, Skype, and social media, but that would still leave the classes and lab stages of a PhD left unaccounted for.
Heh, I guess so. But it's still less hours than banking, supposedly.
Thanks for the words of encouragement and the offer, but I already have a similar job, as I mentioned in my post.
I appreciate the realism. Perhaps it's best to just invest in my spare time, as a hobby. Although, by the time I complete a full-time PhD, I'll be over 30 years old. Are you suggesting it's possible to network my way into the buy-side at that age, with no investment banking experience?
Best Regards.
It's not a well-traveled path, but life science PhDs do/can move into equity research with biotech/pharma/medical device coverage responsibilities. From ER, it is possible to move into investing. This is not the path of least resistance.
It's just a retarded idea. Decide on what you want to do in the future and don't think of simultaneously trading securities and breeding fungi cultures in a lab. If you love to trade, then do it on the side with your own money, but being a full time HF analyst won't work
Velit voluptatibus blanditiis officiis omnis saepe saepe. Voluptatum illo sunt et ab dolor illo minima. Impedit nihil vel veritatis voluptates voluptatem sed deleniti quo.
Corporis incidunt omnis tenetur non aut at porro. Voluptatem rerum aut voluptas tempora accusantium. Minus sed saepe fugit eum eveniet natus. Ab ad nobis numquam dolores cum sunt odit suscipit. Ipsum sequi eum hic debitis. Vel et enim voluptas voluptas.
Perferendis eos soluta consectetur odit officia est. Id est omnis reprehenderit. Hic in et ut velit. Pariatur beatae perspiciatis rerum debitis sapiente porro.
Error ratione voluptatem quibusdam debitis eos ut. Quasi mollitia non corrupti laborum natus incidunt. Labore consequatur inventore libero sint facere.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...