Equity trader career path

Career Opportunities & Internships
1

<p>A company that is a small market maker visited our career fair about a month ago, hiring for positions titled 'Equity trader.' It's a very small company and privately owned, so i've had trouble finding any solid information on the position, such as the career path. I'm concerned because as an engineering major, if I joined such a company straight out of college, I'm guessing I would probably be limited to the finance sector from now on.</p>

<p>What might the potential for career advancement be for such a position 3, 5, or 10 years down the road? Do salaries at such firms typically hover near the starting salary with pay increases solely coming in the form of bonuses based on peformance? Would getting in with such a company make me an attractive candidate for much more lucrative positions within the financial services/banking industry later, considering that I only have an engineering degree?</p>

2

<p>high risk high reward</p>

3

<p>Trading is extremely prestige driven, meaning unless you go to a target school it will be very difficult to break in. If you’re a trader, exit ops should be the last thing on your mind, unlike banking, people become traders to be traders meaning its what they’ll probably do for the rest of their lives. Because you are paid by a percentage of your PnL, its an “eat what you kill” pay structure so the potential upside is huge. Try looking for a good prop shop, there are tons of them in Chicago. Try to go to one with a legitimate training program because some of those places will put you on the street in 6 weeks if you’re not doing well.</p>