Valuation Control to Trading?

Hi All,
I am currently interviewing for a Valuation Control position in an equity derivatives group, while currently working in a big 4 derivatives valuation group as a senior analyst for about one year. I have a quant finance background and level 2 of the CFA so far, and have always been trying to make it into derivatives trading. Coming out of school I took the first offer I got, which turned out to be a colossal mistake, as I absolutely loathe the valuation work I am currently doing. While in school I got some structuring/sales/trading interviews but never made it past the final round. Two times I was told that the company was deciding between me and an inside hire, and went with the inside hire. I got to re-interview for new positions at those companies as I had done well, but never ended up getting positions there. With this in mind, I think I am fairly prepared/qualified for a trading or structuring position, but since taking a job in the big 4 I have stopped getting any S&T interviews.

I wanted to see if anyone here has any insight as to whether I would be able to make it from a valuation control group onto the front office derivatives trading desk. I would be working with traders/sales/structurers on a daily basis, but would technically be in a different part of the bank. Do you think this is a decent route to go, or should I really push for cold emailing people in S&T to try and build a network and eventually jump straight into the front office?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

*As a note, I've seen this topic: wallstreetoasis......./forums/valuation-control-groups
but wanted to ask a more specific question. Hopefully it isn't too redundant.

 

Sint sed est eveniet possimus amet. Voluptatibus labore quia repudiandae incidunt assumenda nisi. Repellendus cupiditate ullam vel consequuntur nulla temporibus velit officiis. Perspiciatis officiis quia voluptatem dolorum veniam.

Ipsa iste facere minus harum. Totam fuga et sed consequuntur adipisci totam. Porro accusantium sed ab qui repudiandae dolore.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (87) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
numi's picture
numi
98.8
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...”