Have a SWE offer from a top hedge fund and at the onsite stage for a few others HFTs/Prop shops. While the offer almost doubles my current TC, I'm worried that going into the finance/HFT sector as a SWE could be a potentially career-ending move. At FANG for example, it seems SWEs can at least make it up to L5 pretty naturally and if they show enough initiative/ability, go beyond that, or go into management. Does there exist a similar kind of path in HFTs? I'm wondering because I've heard some horror stories about SWEs at HFTs being overworked/denied growth opportunities, since the quant traders/researchers seem to be the first-class citizens in the space. Also, is the work for SWEs interesting/ relevant to the tech sector, if I ever decide to switch back to FANG someday? Any insights appreciated! TLDR: Interested in potentially exploring SWE role in an HFT firm, but don't want to optimize for short-term TC at the cost of long-term happiness/career progression. YOE: 2-4 TC: ~190k #citadel #hft #quant #swe #deshaw #janestreet #citadelsecurities #optiver #twosigma
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Are you trolling
It's fairly easy and rather common to move back and forth. I went from tech to big bank to some HFT forms and back to tech again. If you are good, the application doesn't matter. Tech actively recruited me when I was in finance. Finance actively recruits me while I'm in tech.
Yes and no. You can definitely move to tech from finance and vice versa. But OP's concerns are legit. The skills you develop in one area aren't fully transferable. It's pretty difficult for someone with 10+ years of HFT experience to get a FAANG L6+ offer. Bottom line is you may be taking a step back if you switch