Quant Fund to start your career with?

[Once_Set]

Hi,

I have a couple of interviews coming up with small, unknown quant hedge funds specialising in stat arg trading.

Would I have a better career trajectory if I worked for the big names (DE Shaw, Citadel, Jane Street, ...) and
would I learn more and become a better algo trader?

Or does it not matter much, and you can sometimes get better exposure and more independence at the small ones. I also hear they sometimes pay better?

thanks!

 

[Khorge]

Many (like 90% I'd say) of these shops have pretty similar strategies so it doesn't really matter where you go in terms of career moves. You are right about getting more responsibility and exposure at smaller prop shops and pay at smaller shops can be comparable to the larger funds.

 

[Once_Set]

Thanks, Khorge. Do you mean generally, larger funds pay better? Isn't it easier to get into smaller funds and then move later? I am not the most desirable candidate as I'm a PhD in maths, and don't have much of a stats or computer science background (of course I have some knowledge) but I am trying to somehow get into the industry.

Is it also possible to go to a large bank, become a derivatives quant and then move? Or if I want to be an algo trader, I should do it now?

 

[Khorge]

Thanks, Khorge. Do you mean generally, larger funds pay better? Isn't it easier to get into smaller funds and then move later? I am not the most desirable candidate as I'm a PhD in maths, and don't have much of a stats or computer science background (of course I have some knowledge) but I am trying to somehow get into the industry.

Is it also possible to go to a large bank, become a derivatives quant and then move? Or if I want to be an algo trader, I should do it now?

Its probably easier to go into smaller shops and then move later.

Its hard to change focus once you are a derivs pricing quant to become an algo trading quant.

 

[Once_Set]

Thanks, Khorge, much appreciated. As you can tell I'm a complete novice in this area. Are you working as an algo quant? Do people from different areas get in, like in my case, pure mathematics? I'm not sure whether I stand a chance..