- Joined
- 6/10/11
- Messages
- 33
- Points
- 18
Hello Quantnet,
I would just like a gauge on how well I'm doing in my career. No bragging or buttering up here. Just need a realistic view from those who are in the industry.
Context: Hedge fund, ~800mil, 30% quant, Asia, trading equities. I'm a developer, from top US school math major, just two years in the company. This is my first job. Work mostly is improving execution, data organization, strategy formulation but UP TO backtesting. Like many others, I wish to one day acquire that coveted seat where I'm trading investor's or the firm's money.
So ... here is where I am. For year 1 and year 2, annual up 20% and 30% (from preceding year) with bonuses 20% and 50% (of annual) respectively. Now, that's great and I'm very thankful. However, number of trades I've executed - Zero. Given my goals, should I ...
1. Bang on management door every other day with a proven strategy of Sharpe 1.2 and ask them for allocation?
2. Acquire a Masters, have a year dedicated to independent strategy research, and return? I feel there's a need for me to have more credibility when I say by theorem X, Y will happen.
3. Try my luck in a bank. (Yes, I know Vockler is in place since two weeks ago.)
Now I've been hearing stories from others working banks that for quant to trader, you essentially have to be a trader's b**** coding models for about 5 years and then you actually trade. By that benchmark, I seem to be doing okay. I'm quite fine being someone's b**** for another 3 years, my concern is whether other factors (lack of Masters, lack of banking experience) will hinder me from eventually getting that trader role.
Cheers,
Phil
I would just like a gauge on how well I'm doing in my career. No bragging or buttering up here. Just need a realistic view from those who are in the industry.
Context: Hedge fund, ~800mil, 30% quant, Asia, trading equities. I'm a developer, from top US school math major, just two years in the company. This is my first job. Work mostly is improving execution, data organization, strategy formulation but UP TO backtesting. Like many others, I wish to one day acquire that coveted seat where I'm trading investor's or the firm's money.
So ... here is where I am. For year 1 and year 2, annual up 20% and 30% (from preceding year) with bonuses 20% and 50% (of annual) respectively. Now, that's great and I'm very thankful. However, number of trades I've executed - Zero. Given my goals, should I ...
1. Bang on management door every other day with a proven strategy of Sharpe 1.2 and ask them for allocation?
2. Acquire a Masters, have a year dedicated to independent strategy research, and return? I feel there's a need for me to have more credibility when I say by theorem X, Y will happen.
3. Try my luck in a bank. (Yes, I know Vockler is in place since two weeks ago.)
Now I've been hearing stories from others working banks that for quant to trader, you essentially have to be a trader's b**** coding models for about 5 years and then you actually trade. By that benchmark, I seem to be doing okay. I'm quite fine being someone's b**** for another 3 years, my concern is whether other factors (lack of Masters, lack of banking experience) will hinder me from eventually getting that trader role.
Cheers,
Phil