Is SWE at a trading firm only worth it if you go to top firms?

Question

It seems like the massive TC that people talk about for SWEs in trading firms&nbsp;is only for the top firms (JS, HRT, Citadel...) and even 2nd tier firms (IMC, DRW, 2s) are far more tame with their pay.&nbsp;

Skalorp · Accepted Answer

idk what the SWE TC is, but quant at those “2nd tier” places (not really second tier from a wall street perspective, just for eng salaries) new grads are still making like 400k which i wouldn’t really call tame

oloa2r1 · Answer

quant salaries vs dev salaries are tiers apart.

Crossword109 · Answer

Just to be clear: Quant Developer, Quant Trader, and Quant Researcher are usually distinct roles. Are you asking if a SWE or Quant Dev role, at a trading firm, is worth it? Or are you asking if being a trader, at a trading firm, is only worth it if you're at a top firm?

AlphaArchitect · Answer

Think comp and benefits at those firms is stellar.  In terms of whether it’s “worth it”, also pay attention to the average tenure of engineers at that firm.  Some firms listed above have a reputation of burning engineers out.  It’s so bad at one of those firms that I won’t hire from there until the candidate has recovered at another firm first.

Is SWE at a trading firm only worth it if you go to top firms?

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