Programmer Analyst at a Hedge Fund

[RKG]

Question for tech and non-tech folks working at prop. desks and hedge funds:

I've gotten interviews for a Programmer Analyst at a Quantitative group at one of the leading hedge funds. Now, my background is technology and I've programmed for several years, though the last 2 years has been a little bit removed from it on a day-to-day basis. I passed CFA Level 1 last year and have taken Level 2 this year.

I understand what this role entails but the question is on the long-term prospect. From a pure programming role at a Quant. Group, what are the chances to move towards a more of an investment analysis type of role, rather than just implementing the models as a programmer. Is it reasonable to expect that after learning the ropes at implementing models and after proving yourself, you'll be given a chance at building models? Or is a programmer analyst a dead-end kind of job and there's no chance of moving towards analysis/trading?

Any help is appreciated.

 

[JoeyDVivre]

RKG Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Question for tech and non-tech folks working at
> prop. desks and hedge funds:
>
> I've gotten interviews for a Programmer Analyst at
> a Quantitative group at one of the leading hedge
> funds. Now, my background is technology and I've
> programmed for several years, though the last 2
> years has been a little bit removed from it on a
> day-to-day basis. I passed CFA Level 1 last year
> and have taken Level 2 this year.
>
> I understand what this role entails but the
> question is on the long-term prospect. From a pure
> programming role at a Quant. Group, what are the
> chances to move towards a more of an investment
> analysis type of role, rather than just
> implementing the models as a programmer. Is it
> reasonable to expect that after learning the ropes
> at implementing models and after proving yourself,
> you'll be given a chance at building models? Or is
> a programmer analyst a dead-end kind of job and
> there's no chance of moving towards
> analysis/trading?
>
> Any help is appreciated.

There is almost no chance of moving toward research, but I would hardly call being a technology guy at a hedge fund a dead-end job. If you are valuable in technlogy, you will have created things that you need to maintain. Why would they want to move you?

 

[wawa]

JoeyDVivre wrote:

"If you are valuable in technlogy, you will have created things that you need to maintain. Why would they want to move you?"

How true! I've seen this very thing happen to a colleague! Moving on was a struggle, but he ultimately made it.

 

[RKG]

Thanks for the response Joey. Let me rephrase what I intended to say with the term "dead-end". Having been in technology for a long time, without sounding pretentious, I want to say "been there, done that" as far as building and maintaining systems go. But the reality is that (as wawa's friend's experience tells us) "moving on" is going to be difficult from such roles.

 

[JoeyDVivre]

Yep....