Are quant jobs fast paced?

[pinkjigglypuff]

Are quant jobs so fast paced, that you wish that the day won't end, because you need more time to finish? Are quant jobs fun, as in it challenges you intellectually and keeps you stimulated?

 

[Tsotne]

Read the recent threads about quant types. One of the very recent ones has been a market for programmers at quant positions. Then see if you view the requirements as interesting, motivating, fun. As for challenge, it's very challenging since there is no limited capabilities so you have unlimited resources to learn to compete.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Are quant jobs so fast paced, that you wish that the day won't end, because you need more time to finish? Are quant jobs fun, as in it challenges you intellectually and keeps you stimulated?

I don't know anyone who wishes the day won't end so they can stay longer in the office fighting the machine. Yes, we all wish there are more than 24 hours in a day so we can do more stuff but keep in mind that this is work and there is life outside of work.
Even if you want to, you may not be able to stay after work. After several incidents where people copy code, companies are very serious about security and if you are the only guy left in the room, security guys making the round will have a small chit chat with you.
I have come to the office on a weekend and stayed till 3AM in one or two occasions when I need to get something done by Monday trading hours. But I do not think it's allowed anymore.

Is the job fast paced? In general, yes, FO jobs are stressful and put you on the edge most of the time. My only experience is with FO trading desk so I can't speak for jobs in MO/BO.
Do I think all the problems I do at work are interesting? Some are, most are not. I can try to make boring tasks more fun by finding better way to do it but at the end of the day, if my time spent on it not adding to the bottom like (read making money) then I would rather not doing it.

People I work with are smart but we are not trying to solve world problem. We are merely to make profit for our employer and that is simply it.

Do I wish the day wont end? Heck no. I want to spend quality time with family and loved ones. And so should you. Don't be a slave to your job. It has its fun and its downer and it's part of the deal when we sign up for this job.

 

[Forza]

Great post Andy - work will always be work no matter how much money you make or how much of a difference you are making.

Off topic, but when I was in Afghanistan, I loved my job. But there was never a day I didn't wish I was home with my family and girlfriend, instead of being under 120 degree heat in the middle of the desert with sand blown in my face while the base is being rocketed.

 

[euroazn]

Thanks for protecting the country, mate.

 

[Forza]

No thanks needed, was just part of my job and glad I did it.

The post was just to back Andy's comments, that's all.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Second that. Thanks for putting your life on the line for us and serving your call of duty. Serving for 8 years and getting back in one piece is a blessing and miracle.

I guess many members here are 22+, just right out of college, full of energy and want to go to Wall Street with their guns blazing. I can promise you that finance is one industry that will wear you down quickly. If you are into this for the easy money, you will be out looking for another job. A few years in, you will either excel or bum out. There is little place for mediocrity on Wall Street.

I met a lot of awesome people on my jobs. People who run charity board and donate huge amount of money to just cause. I met people who perform on a rock band after work. People who mentor high school kids. Sure, some do it out of a sense of guilt. I'm not one to judge.

The gist is at this point in your life (20 something), job may be your #1 goal in life but there are more important things than that. When you have family, kids, you will see that spending majority of waking hours at work and miss important life events are not always a good trade.

Now i'm done with my King's Speech, I will take my son to the park. The weather is nice outside. Don't be jealous

 

[Forza]

Really no need to thank me. I just wanted to contribute my part, that was all.

Andy is right, there is so much more to life than just a career, money, Wall Street, etc. As you get older (I just turned 30) and wiser (or missing death so many times by chance/luck/act of god), you begin to value other things so much more. You begin to see the importance of returning your parents' phone calls. You cherish your ability to run on 2 feet because there are those that you have seen that couldn't. You see the importance of volunteering and helping others. And in Andy's case, you value the time that you spend with your son.

Chasing the dream of becoming the next George Soro is great, but keep this all in perspective. Just because you don't get into your dream MFE program, or get a job at Goldman or Citadel, doesn't mean life is over.

So go enjoy the sun and take this journey as we call life one step at a time. I am off my soap box now and going to go workout.

 

[Joy Pathak]

Are quant jobs so fast paced, that you wish that the day won't end, because you need more time to finish? Are quant jobs fun, as in it challenges you intellectually and keeps you stimulated?

This is a very general question. You have to be more specific. If you work on the trading desk it will be very fast paced and stressful especially during trading hours. If you work in MO/BO it won't be as stressful and you will not work crazy hours.

 

[ThinkDifferent]

thanks God there is MO 8pm I am at home with my family having dinner....and this is after I went to the gym
...always crack me up to see emails from FO guys when it's something like 7am or 10pm in their time zone )

 

[pinkjigglypuff]

Thank you everyone for responding. I wanted to know the answer to this question, because I want to work really hard and I want my work to challenge me. I think I thrive under pressure as oppose to a job that consists of mindless motions. I'll take it into account that work is not everything and nor is making money

Also, thank you Forza for protecting our country. I really admire you for that.

 

[Forza]

Hey pinkjigglypuff,

Finance is definitely an exciting career field - good luck on your search!

 

[Tsotne]

As for the speed of development of quantitative finance field, I recently read one member's statistics saying that IBs are employing more programmers than Microsoft each year. This opinion is much like my previous one I stated in another thread saying that quantitative finance is swallowing other fields as well. For example, pure math and physics are not much (or at least as much) applicable on their own as in finance. CS is not CS just for being CS. It has become an integral part of another science - HFT for example.

Having said this, it's good to mention that, when we talk about "how fast paced one field is' we should take into account how many other fields it includes or overlaps with...and undoubtedly quantitative finance has lots of convergence to other independent fields.