Career: Change career path

Insights for newcomers and professionals transitioning from other fields to quantitative research

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Table of content:

1. Introduction.

2. Step 0: When you already have a winning strategy.

3. Step 1: Starting over.

4. Step 2: Leveraging your network and personal brand.

5. Step 3: Choose your financial powerhouse.

6. Step 4: Specialize or be fired

7. Step 5: Cracking the quant interview

8. Step 6: Lessons on experience and adaptability

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Introduction

This weekend, I received a question from a premium subscriber that really got me thinking: If you had to transition into quant research from another career, where would you start? As a senior quant with quite a few years of experience bending models, coding late into the night, and yes—occasionally laughing at the absurdity of market anomalies—I decided to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and share how I’d do it all over again.

I’m not here to glorify my own journey—though I won’t deny that it’s been a wild ride—, but rather to give you, the aspiring quant or the career-changer, a practical—and mostly lazy—guide. So, grab a cup of coffee—or your beverage of choice— and join me as I explain what it takes to move from a career in, say, consulting or engineering to becoming a quant hero in this crazy world.

Oh! By the way! I have something super important to ask you at the end—don’t miss it! 🚀

Step 0: When you already have a winning strategy

Let’s get one thing straight from the start: if you already have a killer trading strategy—or, even better, multiple strategies— that consistently outperforms the market then congratulations, you’ve basically found the express lane to a hedge fund job. I mean, why spend years networking, building your personal brand, and honing your skills when you’ve got a proven alpha generator in your back pocket?

I remember when I first realized that my strategy wasn't just a lucky break but genuine alpha. And the first time hedge funds reached out to me, they weren’t interested in long-winded pitches or fancy presentations—they just wanted to see the numbers.

In that scenario, I would have simply presented my track record, and offers would have come rolling in. It’s like having the winning lottery ticket—big funds give away 200K per strategy: you don’t need to hustle for connections because your results speak louder than any networking event ever could.

That said, if they say no, even if you have a winning strategy, don’t worry. It may mean they already have a similar strategy, or they're not the right fit for you. In such cases, it's better to knock on the door of a different firm or fund.

Here's a list of funds you can target—plus, an expanded roster, a step-by-step interview guide, and even a cheat sheet in the appendix to give you the edge:

• Millennium Management

• Citadel Advisors

• Bridgewater Associates

• Balyasny Asset Management

• Mariner Investment Group

• Arrowstreet Capital

• Brookfield Asset Management

• Man Group

• Point72 Asset Management

• Artisan Partners

• AQR Capital Management

• Clearbridge Investments

• D. E. Shaw & Co.