July 31st 2025 SIG test blew me to pieces. Expected outcome; not left-brained at all. If I'm serious about having the option of trading-related employment, I must not commit to taking other such tests before really preparing. TradingInterview and TraderMath have been suggested by a friend. Will be on vacation for the next 3.5 weeks. Potential updates will concern new beach reads and thoughts on past ones exclusively.
Good Morning christaras, You have a phD in computer science my friend. Please stop trying to do algo systems on your own and go get your butt a Job at a HFT firm so you can have a billion dollar backing and will not cost you a dime. Go get inside information on what hft firms are doing and get rich this way. Put them books down and go work a Hedge fund and put all that education to good
One you reading right now (Thorp) is a very good. In that line of thought another good one is - "The Man Who Solved The Markets - How Jim Simons Launched The Quant Revolution""
Hello friend. Your advice for joining a hedge fund is hard to argue against. But my education forces me to at least try and go it alone: my PhD was, after all, six years of doing hard stuff on my own. For the time being I will take my chances. I have no difficulty changing my mind according to experience.
Hello christaras, You have a PhD in Computer Science. Why on earth would you want to do this alone? GO work for a reputable HFT firm or Hedge Fund. Jane Street just made TONS of money in India. Go work here, make millions, then do it alone. TOO much working doing this alone, risk of failure is too high. Leverage smart people
Since other people may face this dilemma, let me elaborate: This September I'm starting studying to become a systematic/algorithmic (don't know the difference yet) trader full-time. I will also try to monetize my programming and writing skills by setting up a paywalled blog. If my budgeting works out as planned, I will have enough money to survive until Q1 2026 (said budgeting assumes zero income). If neither the writing nor the trading haven't yielded any profit until Q1 2026, I'll start applying to trading firms. A second-order effect of my activities until then is that, compared to my current complete outsider status, I'll have some knowledge to draw from while competing to get hired. If, however, I manage to pay a single bill with writing/trading money, I'll keep grinding for myself like a shark that's caught the slightest trail of blood. That's the practical dimension. Now some less concrete stuff: I do not want to do this alone. I wish I had some wingmen with me. What I do want is flexibility: don't wanna relocate. Don't wanna wear a suit and tie. Don't wanna play office politics. Don't wanna enter a rat race with billions at stake. Don't wanna sign NDAs and whatnot. Don't wanna keep postponing the day when I take full control of my (professional) life. I don't want to make millions. I've never seen more than 5K in my bank account. Financial independence for a boring happy life in Greece is enough. I know I will most probably fail. I also know the what-ifs will haunt me if I don't try. Thanks again for your comments, SimpleMeLike!