Iâm a hardcore technologist by trade. I have over 17 years experience developing all sorts of systems using many different programming languages (C, C++, Java) Recently (last 9 years) Iâve been working as a consultant in the investment banking industry in the City of London developing trading systems. The money is great but the work is mediocre and political with poor scope for radical innovation unless you want to be an arse and become an âarchitectâ in which case you go rusty and loose your hands-on technical prowess. Anyways, in 2003 I had the great idea to develop an automated trading system. I spent every second of my being researching with a passion. I saved a lot of money in order to fund the development and built up sufficient trading capital. In 2005 I decided to leave the banking industry and give my automated trading system a go. It was great for the first few months - I was working from home and was my own boss. After a few initial hiccups my automated system made money and I was pleased, however after 4-5 months I lost my way. Not because I lost money, far from it. I became fatigued and I suffered from lack of inspiration and eventually stagnated. I believe the root cause was lack of social interaction. For the last couple of years Iâve been consulting; again for an investment bank, but my passion has always been nagging me and I feel Iâm ready to work again on my automated trading system. I find an office environment gives me stimulus to get through the ups and downs of the day. I bounce ideas off people, chat about things like the weather and news, all this keeps me refreshed, motivated and energised. So the question is â Where can I go (in London) where I can independently work on my automated trading system and be part of a lively office environment with like minded people, ideally finance trader types, without being tied to the day-to-day control of being employed? Cheers
I am in a similar situation as you are - only I am in Copenhagen. I work at my clients for the various consulting jobs I do. My solution has been to keep my daytime activities and build an automated system for the US markets during the evenings.
Hi runtrader, I'm in a similar situation to you. Working from home was driving me mad, so I now rent a desk in a finance / property company in the West End. It's not perfect, a little quieter than the dealing desks I'm used to, but it provides enough social interaction without being intrusive. I'm sure after the shrinkage this year there must be other small hedge funds etc with spare space available. If you want to meet for a coffee to compare notes, PM me.
Why not rent a cube/office in a shared office space? There are serviced offices all around that allow you to rent the space you need, and you'll be able to chit chat w/ other folks as well. I did this in Sydney for about 8 months, had a great time. Louis
First off, disregard infinity. He's just an annoying troll who doesn't trade. Don't expect much sympathy around here if you're claiming that you're a successful systems developer whose problem is that you're bored. I assume that there are traders here who perform better, in terms of actual execution, in an environment with others. Not sure about systems developers who need others around; in my own work, it's a pretty solitary pursuit and I'm guessing that the large majority of systems guys are the same way, psychologically speaking. If your system is making money consistently, you can take your track record, approach established trading houses and see if you can get them to pay you to work with a profit split on the system, perhaps?
I would recommend going out. There should be some coffee shops, bookstores, pubs, bars, clubs, etc in London. Also, if your system was succesful, why not meed some friends for lunch, or take a whole day off and meet new friends or go out on the weekends with friends or family. Taking a break does wonders to recharge you, even if it's just a day.
Thank you all for the feedback. I don't think my problem was that I was bored! No trading system performs consistently forever, trading algorithms needs continuous monitoring and tweaking. Indeed as markets and fundamentals change, so must the trading system. Trading is essentially part problem solving, part pattern recognition and part experience. One thing Iâve learnt as a software developer is that sometimes you have to step away from a problem in order to see the solution. In trading there is no perfect trade, just like in software development there is no perfect solution. My problem was that I literary had no like minded people to bounce ideas off. Socialising with family and friends was just not the same. Sometimes just talking about a problem helps to articulate it in ones mind. I couldnât see the wood for the trees. I now have a choice. I could carry on with my day job, itâs not bad and pays well, but ultimately it not where my heart lies. I therefore will try again, I have the benefit of hindsight I have spent the last 2 years contemplating what went right and what went wrong, what worked and what didnât. Iâve stepped back from the problem and am now ready to try again. However this time, Iâll try to surround myself with like minded people to bounce the odd idea off.
Join a firm. In Chicago, Jump Trading would be "perfect" for you. Maybe they have a London branch: http://www.jumptrading.com/
Like others posted, you shouldn't have ANY problem hooking up with a group of traders, maybe not system traders, but maybe some of them are too. I started with automated too and now I'm working online with a group of guys (discretionary). I find both styles bring something to the table and the interaction and synergy is improving my trading a lot. (It's NOT improving my systems [yet], but I'm expectin' to apply what I learn discretionary to the systems, soon as I learn it ) Good luck man, wish I was in London, I'd work with you...