Can an OLD man get in here ?

[C S Palkar]

Education : BS, MCA

Work experience : Since 1987 for which 89 onwards in NA ( US & Canada)
OS : DOS, Unix
Development : Middleware - optimization to reduce DB connection
Device drivers - NetBSD/DOS [ EPROM - file manager and RS232 ]
Implementation of 'custom' system call on NetBSD
Capacity testing - Testing tools
Developing tools to simulate FIX brokerage client connections to market

Tech Tools / Languages : C, (Some C++), Perl, AWK, Shell and most Unix/Linux tools. Extensive knowledge and use of IPC ( shm, semaphore, socket ). Understand concurrency issues, race conditions deadlocks and possible solutions to avoid those. Know about lock free algorithms. Knowledgable about optimization of algorithms - data structures etc.

Protocols : TCP/IP and FIX.

Others : Experiences would be helpful regarding the online course.

Presently Employment : Working in QA as 'Tech Lead' creating tools to monitor systems and simulate market conditions for functional testers test new trading engine releases.

Question : Will the online C++ course help me move into HFT/algo development job ?

 

[ygmwy]

Question : Will the online C++ course help me move into HFT/algo development job ?

You can get a job with a HFT firm now. Everyone needs a techie working in the back of the server rooms. Now if you're talking about becoming an algo developer, then you need way more than what you've got. It seems you might be lacking in OOP, mathematics, and financial knowledge. What kind of job do you want anyway?

 

[Daniel Duffy]

Look like your experience is very much based on maintenence of legacy systems (DOS, UNIX).

I think a skills upgrade is needed.

 

[C S Palkar]

Thanx for the input

Presently working in the tools group at an exchange. Developing tools using perl, shell some C++ for QA functional tester to user for various purposes (a) transaction logfile resolutions (comparison) (b) Simulate client connectivity to exchange gateways - replay FIX messages captured in production, support for multiple sessions. Also perform capacity testing for customer and external data feed gateways.

Question : How helpful has this C++ course helped in moving ahead or getting a foot in the door ?

Appreciate your inputs.

 

[Yike Lu]

You cannot get an algo dev job as is? If not at a prop firm, I would think agency execution shops could use your skills. People have gotten such jobs with far less CS than you have already.

 

[C S Palkar]

Hi Yike,

Thanx for the feedback - as I am new to the terminology (newbie) ;-(

What is an execution shop ?

CSP
--

 

[Daniel Duffy]

Question : How helpful has this C++ course helped in moving ahead or getting a foot in the door ?

I would learn C++ as a high priority item. If HFT dries up there's LOTS of places where it can be used.

 

[Yike Lu]

Hi Yike,

Thanx for the feedback - as I am new to the terminology (newbie) ;-(

What is an execution shop ?

CSP
--

A place that executes orders for customers, without taking proprietary risk. Usually they are specialized to take large blocks and move them over the course of a day or more.

Of course, more quant knowledge would help, but seems like you have the software engineering chops (especially concurrency). Why not explore the market?

Edit: also, what Daniel says is certainly true. You seem well placed for algo trading, but it can be relatively narrow, so diversification into other things helps.

 

[C S Palkar]

Thanx - I am also looking at the website could not find details of C++ course. Any idea where to find these ?

 

[C S Palkar]

Found it

 

[Daniel Duffy]

I know someone who became a quant when he was 55. (I think he is Russian).