What industry are you in?Quantitative finance
How much are you making?
155k in salary, 100k - 250k in bonus and equity grants.
Is your income stable or volatile?
Salary's been very stable, bonus fluctuates a bit more dependent on the vagaries of the market.
Where do you live?
I live in Boston.
How long did it take to get to your level?
5 years.
What kind of work do you do?
Trading signal research, statistics, machine learning, discrete optimization. Also a lot of time working on infrastructure, operations, and communicating with different stakeholders.
Do you enjoy it, or is it the stereotypical "highly paid because it's crappy" work?
I enjoy it. The work-life balance is great(40 hour weeks), and I work with smart people on interesting problems.
Is this a short-lived opportunity, or do you expect it to exist in 5 years?
Jobs like this will definitely exist in 5 years.
What would your advice be to a 20-year-old aspiring developer? 25? 30?
The world is your oyster if you can master the following:
- doing difficult technical things
- knowing the business side of things well and always working towards good outcomes for everyone involved.
- communicating well, both in person and in writing
- working independently on original, important ideas that are germane to the business activity you're involved with
- being friendly, positive, and easy to work with
It also probably helps to pick companies and industries where you're appreciated for all of those things.
Quantitative finance
How much are you making?
155k in salary, 100k - 250k in bonus and equity grants.
Is your income stable or volatile?
Salary's been very stable, bonus fluctuates a bit more dependent on the vagaries of the market.
Where do you live?
I live in Boston.
How long did it take to get to your level?
5 years.
What kind of work do you do?
Trading signal research, statistics, machine learning, discrete optimization. Also a lot of time working on infrastructure, operations, and communicating with different stakeholders.
Do you enjoy it, or is it the stereotypical "highly paid because it's crappy" work?
I enjoy it. The work-life balance is great(40 hour weeks), and I work with smart people on interesting problems.
Is this a short-lived opportunity, or do you expect it to exist in 5 years?
Jobs like this will definitely exist in 5 years.
What would your advice be to a 20-year-old aspiring developer? 25? 30?
The world is your oyster if you can master the following:
- doing difficult technical things - knowing the business side of things well and always working towards good outcomes for everyone involved. - communicating well, both in person and in writing - working independently on original, important ideas that are germane to the business activity you're involved with - being friendly, positive, and easy to work with
It also probably helps to pick companies and industries where you're appreciated for all of those things.