Which is why I suggested the Microsoft Certifications link this morning. Trading firms and banks are looking for Developers and AI Engineers.
About to graduate, what should I do?
- Thread starter Amatrue
- Start date
To any High-Schoolers and above, word to the wise, Why Wait?
Get Certified, put that in your kit.
Your Rolodex will matter as much or more than your HS and College diplomas.
Math and Science never hurt at the end of the day.
A lot of the advise here given to get exposure to trading is text book advise at best. It does not appear to apply to OP's situation.
Academic name brands becoming less important may be true but not today and not tomorrow, hence it does not help OP. Also, trying to get into middle office or back office jobs only works when the applicant is super driven and self motivated to swallow his pride and work his ass up the ladder to eventually get exposure to trading desks. OP does not appear to be such person else he would have never asked on a day trader forum.
I am one of the very few among all my peers who started out 20 years ago who is still full time trading. Everyone else did not have trading in their blood. I would do this job for free for the rest of my life. Beating other highly competitive and smart punks in the market is an incredible feast for me. Going home with losses is humiliating but it makes me grow each single time. Another puzzle to solve every day. Seeing the fruits of my labor at the end of day/week/month/year can't be beat. I am not saying that most of my peers are any less driven or less intelligent, actually they are incredibly smart. They were just not driven enough to stay in trading, either because they could not compete or they did not enjoy the environment. Many of them now make very good money in other disciplines or started their own ventures outside of finance.
My point is that professional trading is a very adverse and hostile environment and only suits very few. One has to find what one truly enjoys doing and seek a life long passion. Anything else is a recipe to hate one's job. My single advice to OP is to drop the idea of trading, I might be wrong with a small single digit probability but OP does not appear suited to a trading career. I would not interview him after having read his first post. OP should make time to really figure out what he loves doing and what he is good at and then embark on that career. Just one of the two is not good enough. If I had the talent I would have embarked on a creative career instead of becoming a trader. Many jobs in life are way more fulfilling spiritually and philosophically speaking than trading. I at least do need a balance in life to express my rather mediocre creative side besides my career/passion.
Academic name brands becoming less important may be true but not today and not tomorrow, hence it does not help OP. Also, trying to get into middle office or back office jobs only works when the applicant is super driven and self motivated to swallow his pride and work his ass up the ladder to eventually get exposure to trading desks. OP does not appear to be such person else he would have never asked on a day trader forum.
I am one of the very few among all my peers who started out 20 years ago who is still full time trading. Everyone else did not have trading in their blood. I would do this job for free for the rest of my life. Beating other highly competitive and smart punks in the market is an incredible feast for me. Going home with losses is humiliating but it makes me grow each single time. Another puzzle to solve every day. Seeing the fruits of my labor at the end of day/week/month/year can't be beat. I am not saying that most of my peers are any less driven or less intelligent, actually they are incredibly smart. They were just not driven enough to stay in trading, either because they could not compete or they did not enjoy the environment. Many of them now make very good money in other disciplines or started their own ventures outside of finance.
My point is that professional trading is a very adverse and hostile environment and only suits very few. One has to find what one truly enjoys doing and seek a life long passion. Anything else is a recipe to hate one's job. My single advice to OP is to drop the idea of trading, I might be wrong with a small single digit probability but OP does not appear suited to a trading career. I would not interview him after having read his first post. OP should make time to really figure out what he loves doing and what he is good at and then embark on that career. Just one of the two is not good enough. If I had the talent I would have embarked on a creative career instead of becoming a trader. Many jobs in life are way more fulfilling spiritually and philosophically speaking than trading. I at least do need a balance in life to express my rather mediocre creative side besides my career/passion.
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IT worked out fine for Bill Gates MSFT, borrowing $50,00 from his dad .
WELL say you do better than average for 7 years;
but then lose more than average for the 8th year. Most likely some would simply say... he did worse than average + not mention the 7 good years/LOL.
MY mom was so easy going, i did some work for her + offered to do it free, but good thing she wanted to pay me.
BUT as long as someone disclosed could lose it all + other risks maybe OK.
Depends on the personality also; people that love to give you stuff may not even care , since they love to give........
I've seen a couple degreed Engineers start out as quants and make their way over to the trading desks. But it is simply unheard of these days for a big private fund or Bank to hire a kid straight out of college and let him or her take on trading risk exposure. Doesn't really work like that.
Not really true. Most new grad training programs that hire top notch graduates embark on a few months training but very soon after place each new grad with trading desks and soon after the individual, as function of his/her ability to learn quickly, will be managing risk or making markets. Of course all commensurate with experience and skill level but this is the way it still goes for new grad training programs for sales and trading I hear.
All new hires fresh out of school at Goldman Sachs go through orientation and start out as Analysts. No exceptions. 100 hour work weeks. After a year they get evaluated.
Pretty much the same for Citadel or DRW or Morgan Stanley or take-your-pick.
Pretty much the same for Citadel or DRW or Morgan Stanley or take-your-pick.
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THAT could be a good thing/it would confirm what i found OUT as a kid/ i did not want to work for someone else.
LOL+ true.
IT also can pay to be polite, reguardless, with banks; one of them invited me on his farm, free hunting + many had to pay for that.............................................................................
Unless things have changed the bank I was at hired a ton of people, put them through training for 8 weeks (which is really just indoctrination fueled with alcohol and sex) and then put them on the trading desks. The analysts were delta hedging within a few days and making markets within a few weeks under tight supervision of the senior trader. No one in the sales and trading division worked 100 hour weeks. That was just the coverage ibankers.