Google RS vs. Hedgefund PM
I'm looking at two different career moves (coming from MSR): 1. PM at a top-10 Hedgefund TC 600K guaranteed year 1, and variable afterwards (350-2M+ depending on my portfolio performance) 2. L6 RS at Google with 470K TC guaranteed annually Leaning towards the hedge fund because I feel like I could hop to FAANG in a year if I hate finance and gives me a shot at earnings 1M+ while I'm in my early thirties More details: did my PhD in optimization, took some courses in econometrics and financial modeling, and have research experience in tech but coming into finance for the first time professionally
A Microsoft SDE (? you chose “Eng”) to hedge fund Portfolio Manager @ 600K? I’m not buying it. I worked as a software engineer in hedge funds for a dozen years, and looking to return. You do not sail into a first-time Portfolio Manager position. Even if you got a PhD while at Microsoft and you’re starting as a quantitative analyst — a “top ten” fund is not going to do this. Talk about some hunger games.
What were you doing at MSR and why did you decide to leave?
Prefer not to answer this question for privacy
OP, no one can tell you what to do without a lot more details. I was in a similar situation a few months ago, and I know it’s a difficult decision knowing all the facts. On Blind, people are ignorant about Finance, and will definitely give you unhelpful advice. Having first hand experience in both hedge funds and tech, even I cannot give you good advice until I know what kind of work you like, what are the roles like, what the culture at Hedge fund is like, etc. There is a big spectrum of Hedge funds. Some of them are not worth going. Given that someone has given you a PM role at a Hedge fund with no experience in Finance makes me think that they would fire you as easily, and you would be under a lot of pressure to perform well.
I do see a lot of pressure to perform. My PhD was in optimization and I think they expect me to contribute within 3 months. What was your ultimate decision?
I ultimately joined Roku. But the reasons are specific to me. Don’t think they apply to you. As I said, there are a lot of factors that vary according to the circumstance.
Agreed. It totally depends on the situation. In general I think the most important thing is where you think you will like the team the most. I personally didnt like working at a hedge fund, but it was mostly because I didnt like the boss.
Thanks that does make sense, at this point I'm weighing high risk high profit vs a pretty stable option at RMI/AI.
Hedge fund. You can always come to goog
I don't know about hedge funds, but if it's really pressure to perform within 3 months and G offer is good for a year, you don't have much to lose by taking the PM position
I forgot that Google's offer is good for a year thanks for the reminder.
Which hedge fund? Depending on that your experience can be vastly different. If it was Citadel, if you don’t perform really well within the first 3 months, you are fired. The bar is high. If it was D.E.Shaw, you could take some time ramping up and only get fired if you were too bad. Google’s offer is valid for an year. So u can take a calculated risk with the Hedge fund and go to Google if you don’t like it. But be prepared for a 8-7 job atleast till you can prove yourself.
Thanks so much for the info super helpful
Btw OP, if the Hedge fund is WorldQuant, I would never go there. You are thrown to the wolves and they fire you in an year if you lose their money. They offered me a PM interview when I had Masters+1 YoE in tech. LOL.
Which hedge fund: Two Sigma ?