Hey guys, I am a long time lurker and have tried searching for my question but couldn't find anything specific enough. I am a current junior from top school and I would like to work in a quantitative prop trading firm with a training program over the summer and learn the ropes. I can put up $5K of capital and my primary goal would be to soak up as much knowledge as possible about the industry without blowing out my account I have trading briefly in the markets before, but nothing too advanced and I would say my greatest strength is that I can control my emotions very well and will not make rash decisions if things aren't going my way. If you have any ideas or leads please let me know Thanks
Quantitative prop trading firm = Chicago Without graduating from college, you won't have a actual Jr. trader position. Yes you can put up your 5k to trade with a arcade (leveraged retail broker) but you won't learn much there. I recommend you just find firms that are in the financial markets (doesn't have to be trading) and ask for a internship or clerical position for the summer. Say you just want to learn and so forth. Getting into any trading division at a reputable firm is very difficult... even for a internship. Stay away from the arcades though.
BTW are you taking advanced math classes and computer programming courses at your school? Economics/finance is not as relevant. If not, do so before you graduate. Consider summer classes if you are seriously pursuing this career. Without these two skills (math and knowledge of computer languages), forget about getting into a quantitative finance firm. You also realistically need a MBA to work full-time there. But expect to get 75,000k your first year.