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Why do people not go to Tech. Why still pursue Quant ?

Vix

Joined
9/1/15
Messages
10
Points
13
From what I have seen hours, pay & benefits are better (generally speaking) for Techies in Silicon Valley when compared to Quants in the Street. Why still pursue this career track ?. If you are from a top university from your home country, why not pursue silicon valley ?.

I am really curious as to why many people pursue quant programs in this day and age.
 
From what I have seen hours, pay & benefits are better (generally speaking) for Techies in Silicon Valley when compared to Quants in the Street. Why still pursue this career track ?. If you are from a top university from your home country, why not pursue silicon valley ?.

I am really curious as to why many people pursue quant programs in this day and age.
For one tech is filled with a bunch of delusional liberals. Silicon Valley companies like Google are childish with there campus and what not. Some people just like going in to work and being challenged everyday and working hard. They enjoy the stress on them and prefer it any day over working in many Silicon Valley companies. Plus the average quant will make more then the avarage Silicon Valley worker. For me Silicon Valley is everything I stand against and don’t think I would get along with the people there. Everyone knows there cliques and I guess I prefer finance to tech.
 
I'm left leaning myself and even so I find tech to be insufferable in many ways. I'm not sure I have a word for this, but there's a mainstream positivity culture that really bugs me, and tech seems to embrace it with open arms. There's no seeming end to this unfounded optimism (see: Theranos and the chorus of tech startups with similar fates). In finance, either what you come up with works or it doesn't and you go bust.

Also, as a tech-focused person this is a bit ironic but I think at a quant shop, the technology matters more than in tech companies. In the case of the former, the technology and algorithms IS the business. In the case of the latter it's whatever, e.g. a dating app match algorithm doesn't seem to matter as much as the marketing.
 
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From what I have seen entry-mid level tech people in any major tech company get paid way more than the counterparts in the Street working way less, with much less stress. On the higher end companies like Netflix / Airbnb will beat out anything you can earn on the buy side, but workload is definitely higher. On the lower end any of Facebook, Google etc. will beat out whatever you can earn at a Citi, JPM. Also if you look at job security during recessions, google laid off 100 during 2008 Vs 1000's laid off in any major bank. This is only for entry-mid levels. Imo its not bad at higher levels from what I have heard.
 
As for the culture, I am super centrist. So I understand what you guys mean :). I also agree partially with quantsmodelsbottles. The tech does matter but in a different manner. I also believe the code quality and maintainability are much better in tech than in Finance. That said, I think in finance you have a clearer goal and objective compared to tech ( if you have a dating app, should you release a chat feature, should you write that feature in this manner (or) that manner etc. )
 
My thinking is that many people with their undergrad major in Finance/Financial Engineering/Financial Math/Math have some experience in programming, but not enough for being a qualified software engineer, since they may learn data structures and algorithms but their undergraduate curriculum do not make them learn courses about computer system and some advanced computer science courses. With such background and relevant quantitative internship in financial institutions, it's very natural for them to apply for MFE programs rather than CS programs, and it's very natural for them to apply to Quant positions while they are in MFE programs.
 
Tech
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---technical skills: *****
---average salary: ***
--------top salary: ***** *

quant
-------networking: ***
---technical skills: ***
---average salary: **
--------top salary: ***** **

IB
-------networking: *****
---technical skills: *
---average salary: ***
--------top salary: ***** *

Just for fun. Please don't take it seriously ;)
 
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