Faang or trading firms

Sep 26, 2021 12 Comments

I'm finishing university soon (CS and Maths) and I am deciding which career path to take. I've had an internship at Facebook and somewhat liked it (the work is technically fun but quite boring and slow-paced).

Though I'd like to go back to the company I wonder if it would be better to get a SWE job at a trading firm, since I do have an interest in finance and want to make more money than a typical FAANG job. I figured the work there would also be a bit more interesting since it is fast-paced and I get to learn more about trading along the way. I'm aiming for the more chill firms (so no Citadel) where you can take more responsibilities if wanted, like Jane Street, Two Sigma or DE Shaw. The only concern is that I'm not competent enough (got instant rejection this year when applying to the Jane Street internship, not sure if it is because of my graduation date 2023 or because I don't have competitive programming experience).

#engineering #software #swe #quant #tradingtech #faang

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TOP 12 Comments
  • Wish
    lèmönl

    Go to company page Wish

    lèmönl
    You make more if you are in stat modeling. Data pipe monkeys have better lives in faang.
    Sep 26, 2021 4
  • Amazon
    Jacobi SVD

    Go to company page Amazon

    Jacobi SVD
    Your experience at a trading firm as an SWE is completely team dependent. The TC is indeed better as you noted, but good engineering principles and engineering management is generally not prioritized. If you are a highly technical person, you may become frustrated with the systems and/or even your peers’ technical abilities.

    How much and what you learn about trading, again, is highly team dependent. You will likely still pick up general trading knowledge along the way, but it may be limited to specific securities. Do not expect to learn anything that you can apply to your own trades; likewise, it’s not useful to put your personal trade history on your resume. Your individual strategies and the strategies employed by the firm operate at completely different scales.

    As for interviews, SWE interviews at HFT firms are just regular tech interviews.

    Have you considered applying for a trading role instead? The experience is more consistent than an SWE role. You don’t even need any prior finance-related knowledge as an intern. They’re simply looking for people who are good at logic and games (especially being able to quickly understand and develop high-probability strategies for games). Placements in collegiate math competitions definitely helped me and my friends get opportunities at HFT firms, but they’re not necessary. Make sure to keep your grades up, though. You have some time before graduation, so maybe you can intern for a smaller firm if you don’t get an opportunity at one of the big firms. Jane Street is practically a crap shoot so you shouldn’t feel too bad. I applied early in college and got insta-rejected too lol.
    Sep 26, 2021 4
  • Amazon
    Mobu

    Go to company page Amazon

    Mobu
    Is competitive programming experience necessary to hear back from trading firms?
    Sep 26, 2021 1
    • OP
      My friends who got in there pretty much all got competitive programming experience. I did get into several without (citadel, drw trading)
      Sep 26, 2021