Jane Street vs. Investment Role in Insurance Company
I am a student from a top University (think HYPS) with a STEM degree and I interned in the Sales and Trading department of a top BB last summer (sophomore summer). I have a good relationship with the people I interned with and, while I will not be interning with them again this summer, I have an understanding with them that I would likely have the opportunity to join post-graduation. I enjoyed that as a good intro, but I'm still quite unsure about which career path I'd really like to go down.
I'm sure that I would like to be in finance, but right now I am struggling with deciding between a more quant-y role, versus a more fundamental, "investment analysis" role.
As of now, I have received three offers
1) A relatively small insurance/pension fund which does both market-based and private investments to be an investment analyst inter.
2) Jane Street (Quant shop)
3) Citadel (Quant Trader Role)
The safe pick seems to be the insurance fund. I think I could do well there, and I think a lot of the training I received from my BB would also be applicable. I also think that this role might be useful in a variety of exit opps. Exit opps are a priority for me. I think this is the most likely career path for me to go down.
My dilemma is that I have really enjoyed the interview process with Jane Street in particular, and I think the culture is a great fit for me. I have also enjoyed my interviews with Citadel, though it feels like less of a culture fit. I am excited by the idea of continuing to use my STEM background in the markets, but I am unsure if I will be great at the job. I think that I am good at math, but I'm certainly no math olympiad participant. And my coding abilities are certainly not top notch. But I keep making it through the interviews (though I do get stumped every so often.) In other words, I am excited by the idea of trying this out for a summer internship, but I'm not confident in my ability to perform at a top level.
1) A big consideration of mine is, if I don't go into this industry now, will I be able to reach it later? For instance, a big motivator for me to go to JS/Citadel for the summer is that I think an exit from BB S&T to an investment analyst role like the offer I currently have is possible. Am I right about this? If I go to a top BB and do Research/Trading, will that leave the door open to exit into an investment role? If I'm an equity trader at a BB, would that leave the door open to a quant fund later?
2) I understand that Citadel hires a lot of quants but has a variety of other strategies they also use to invest. How easy is it to move between teams at a place like that?
3) Jane Street and Citadel are definitely bigger names than the insurance fund. Will that be useful down the line to have a more reputable firm on my resume?
4) Am I correct in thinking that the investment analyst position at the insurance fund has the best exit opps? For instance, does it seem like this could bring me to PE or a hedge fund?
Anything else to add? Thank you so much for any help you can provide, this decision making process has been tough for me, and I have to decide by end of week!
Vel voluptatem temporibus non. Veritatis assumenda perspiciatis nam expedita eaque quis. Sequi porro ipsa occaecati omnis repellendus impedit et optio. Maxime nobis occaecati quidem quidem corrupti non ipsa.
A non maxime et aliquid. Voluptatum est est rerum quae voluptas. Nesciunt consectetur odio in voluptas quia optio quaerat id. Optio similique dolorum et omnis delectus soluta.
Ducimus nobis id harum libero. Dicta distinctio accusamus velit quia. Soluta ipsa exercitationem voluptatum.
Sint quos pariatur fuga aliquid ut qui. Quaerat aut alias ea vel voluptas sunt consequatur sequi. Fugit qui odit quae eum deleniti rerum pariatur. Culpa ut suscipit ab dicta.
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...