Career advice on Trading

gaussian said:
And lock yourself to a series of hand picked stocks by whatever risk manager is breathing down your neck because the SEC won't let you trade your own account freely while working there. Moreover, you get special "professional" titles at brokers so they can charge you more - despite you being some desk jockey at a quant firm bashing out code with the slimmest of all chances of "learning the trade".

If he wants to "learn the trade", abandon his prospects as a "quant" (which he wouldn't get anyway - they don't hire CS majors to do the fun stuff even at the PhD level - they want mathematicians and physicists and only the BEST), and become a guy who sits on a bond desk or something at a BB. He'd have a much better time learning the trade sitting on an equity desk than behind a computer screen banging out code reminding himself constantly how @dozu888 said it would pan out for him.

Super good idea for a guy wanting to strike it on his own. There is absolutely nothing glamorous about the life of a code monkey at some firm, especially when that firm is a bank or quant fund.
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I get your point...

however.. as a code monkey he is still miles closer to the goal, than all the amateur wannabees who sit in their moms basement and call themselves system traders lol.

'traders' .... what a pathetic group..
 
gaussian said:
And lock yourself to a series of hand picked stocks by whatever risk manager is breathing down your neck because the SEC won't let you trade your own account freely while working there. Moreover, you get special "professional" titles at brokers so they can charge you more - despite you being some desk jockey at a quant firm bashing out code with the slimmest of all chances of "learning the trade".

If he wants to "learn the trade", abandon his prospects as a "quant" (which he wouldn't get anyway - they don't hire CS majors to do the fun stuff even at the PhD level - they want mathematicians and physicists and only the BEST), and become a guy who sits on a bond desk or something at a BB. He'd have a much better time learning the trade sitting on an equity desk than behind a computer screen banging out code reminding himself constantly how @dozu888 said it would pan out for him.

Super good idea for a guy wanting to strike it on his own. There is absolutely nothing glamorous about the life of a code monkey at some firm, especially when that firm is a bank or quant fund.
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Good points, and I would add to avoid the financial space altogether in terms of employment. The OP's profile states that he is in LA and there is actually a decent tech scene there. OP, get a job and learn how a pro software shop operates. Don't work for a company where IT is the cost center...find a company where tech is the product. Learn algo trading on the side or just swing/position trade and enjoy your youth.
 
fan27 said:
Don't work for a company where IT is the cost center...find a company where tech is the product. Learn algo trading on the side or just swing/position trade and enjoy your youth.
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Or maybe even do like this guy:

 
gaussian said:
Post your strategy metrics. It's exactly what anyone who would give you money would ask.

If you're a computer science major write a simple backtester (or use one from Python or whatever) to display the metrics of your strategy over the last 10 years.

If your profit factor is low and/or your sharpe ratio is below 0.6 I'd probably consider going back to the drawing board.
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What do you mean by strategy metrics?
 
SteveH said:
Find the older vids on YouTube where Tim Grittanni talked about full-time trading out of college with a small account. He'll give you some good pointers through his first-hand experiences. It's very good, free advice. Don't buy anyone's vids or trading services. Make it on your own or fail trying.

NEVER look at a "get funded" place. Stupid collection of "rules". They're punking you.
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Litterly thats how I've been learning this whole time lol
 
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