A Non-Traditional Entry into Proprietary (HFT) Trading?

S

sh203

I'm a 23 year old university student in a far east country majoring in dentistry.

I wanted to be a trader since high school, but unfortunately I didn't know very well about the various career paths at that time, and I figured that what the 'experts' were doing weren't all that hard.

After a few attempts at trading, I found out that there was a lot more to this then moving averages and bollinger bands, and I realized that if I'm going to have any chance at this I need to have a solid grasp on something quantitative.

The problem is, changing courses is something I can't afford at the moment... I have too much time and capital invested, and starting over as a university freshman is a choice I would not rather make.

Also, I know this might sound lame... but being a dentist isn't so bad. My dad is a pretty successful dentist, and he works 40 hours a week and makes 300k after tax. If I finish school and get my license, at least I'll have something to fall back on if things don't pan out.

So my plan is this... In my spare time I'll study basic mathematics such as linear algebra, calculus, statistics, real analysis etc, learn about data structures & algorithms and some relevant languages, and then move on to the more applied stuff regarding finance. Also since I don't have any credentials, I'm planning on doing some open source projects or Kaggle.

I know this is easier said then done, but then I have 7 years before I can apply for a job anyway. I have 4 years of school left, and then 3 years of mandatory military service after that...

So what is my chance of being hired by a prop firm such as Jump, Jane Street, KCG etc? I will add that I know these companies are very prestigious, usually hire from target schools, and that I should be grateful if I get a chance to work for any prop company at all considering my background.

Am I being unrealistic? Should I just go back to cleaning other people's teeth?

Any input, especially from a practitioner within the industry, is welcome.
 
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Having just gone through this process and failing to secure internship offers at the three you've listed (didn't apply to two), I'd recommend you broaden your search if you really desire to work in HFT. Some of the most worthwhile employers have fewer than 50 employees. I think there's enough literature and cheap access around to be successful with a day job, but also that that's exceedingly difficult. If you look around the Internet, there are scattered insights from successful individual HFTs that might help you. PM me and I'll discuss a few good places to look. In my opinion, the successful retail HFT (and that's almost an oxymoron) strikes a balance between avoiding situations they're at a disadvantage in and finding deterministic opportunities. It also depends largely on your definition of HFT.
 
Ghost_of_Blotto

Thanks, I'll have a look at his posts.

cjbuckley4

Thanks. I'll send you a private message. I don't think I would have anything to gain right now by looking at the technical stuff though...
 
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