Recommended positions in investment banking or hedge funds for someone with a CS and software engineering background

[N.Kaito]

Hello everyone,

I’m Kaito from Japan

I have been working as a software engineer for 3 years, and starting from September 2025, I will begin a Master’s program in Computer Science at the Illinois Institute of Technology. After completing this, I plan to pursue a Master’s degree in Financial Engineering.


Given my background in software engineering and computer science, what types of positions would you recommend for me in investment banking or hedge fund industries?


Thank you very much for your advice.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Quant Developer (QD) is the type of roles that you should target. It pays very well and are in high demand in many financial firms. You can branch out to fintech or adjacent fields if desired.
With the rise of AI, who knows how this could shake out.
One thing I have noticed over the years is that many people want to be Quant Trader (QT) or Quant Researcher (QR) but those roles are extremely hard to get and no easily attainable by fresh graduates. QD is a path that people with a strong technical background and coding ability should seriously consider.
This is to get into the door first, prove yourself and then move to QT/QR positions when opportunities open.