Hustling into Algo/HF (Quant)
Short of it is that I bombed into a non-target almost 2 years ago and I'll be getting a Computer Science Bachelors and a Masters in Data Analytics come a year or two. GPA is not an issue.
Masters in Financial Engineering (MFE) from a target down the road, is on the table. But for now, I'm not stacked and the no job experience will hurt me in admissions.
I've got a metric load of free time on my hands so building a high frequency trading (HFT) engine is all I'm spending my time on right now. Open source for exposure, and in C++ because everything out right now is in Python -- and Python's slow as shit and can't be optimized as much as C++.
The end goal is to network (or force) myself in front of anyone that can get me even a single chance for a buy-side role. The Plan B is to wander around the NYC/CT area as a hobo rambling "look, look! I can get these speeds on a shitty Linux quad core!" to anyone that so much as looks like they might have money behind them.
Sanity check: What's gonna up my odds? They're pretty low, I know, but anything that'll raise them is what I'm looking for.
And @IlliniProgrammer & anyone else that has "quant" experience:
What is the current HF "hot" problem? What can I drop in front of a PM and have him salivating to fela- hire me? (Besides a machine that can predict the future -- that'll take 10-25 years and a lot of LSD)
Aside from the portfolio, what about side-studying the the MFE curc from Baruch? Most of my time, after the initial build, will be optimizing algos, routines, and data structs anyway. Looking through the syllabi it all looks pretty straightforward.
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If I had to find a something sexy that would attract attention of a quant PM ("Personified in this case by an 'orrible cunt ...me"), I'd look at applications of alternative data (non-market), especially involving machine learning or fancy stats. In the process you'd acquire a relatively rare skillset (CS + data science). People like that are well bid outside of finance so you will have a competitive advantage even if you change your mind regarding the whole quant thing.
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Do you want to do active alpha research or do you want to do HFT? The two are very different and encompass almost entirely different skillsets.
Secondly, there is no realistic way to do research "on the side", especially if you are busy maintaining the plumbing (that's what most developers are doing 90% of the time). While you will have some minor exposure to finance, you are not going to gain the skills needed to produce alpha.
If you are slower than the fastest you have negative expected value of trades.
You honestly need to join an existing shop.
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why not just go work in tech for Apple, Google, Amazon or FB ? Good pay, great quality of life...and a very stable career...
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@malloc"
You are in a tough spot. I have industry engineering experience from a strong technology company, so the brand I have is easier to work with since I had gotten the opportunity to work on complex problems/issues.
Have you worked in the industry? What about possible internship roles or support roles that is not development related?
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