Uhm - I think the idea is that there wouldn't be a labor market for such a position. And I don't think I'm being too literal in saying this. Good luck finding a job as an Automated Trader. I think what you mean to ask is how to get a job as a Quant?
There is certainly a market, but it is small. I had an interview for a position recently. The job was to write programs that make money on a seperate account.
Indeed, it is very tough to break in to. Most hedge funds and prop desks who deal with quants wants PhDs. If you're in the industry or you have the talent, it's not too hard to make the jump. You just have to show that you have the right background. I've actually gotten a lot of calls from headhunters recently seeking a quant for a few hedge funds. Just curious but what kind of background do you have?
My background is one year of IT Consulting / Development and a B.Sc. in IT. What are the alternatives? - start a company - start a fund - sell automated products/services Starting from zero and looking for capital seems even harder. I would be very happy about any suggestions. I think prop trading is not the right thing to do if one is heading for auto-trading.
Since you have experience in IT, try to transfer to an IT department at an investment bank or a fund. From here, you can work your way in through the backdoor. Honestly, that's probably your only option, unless you want to go back to grad school.