Would honestly make a wonderful nextflix show. Each season re-enacts the trajectories (from young student to adult) of say 5 individuals across different cultures. Tracing the paths of their observable careers and latent minds, esp how they respond to the tension between purity and wealth, would be riveting. So interesting that one ended up as a monk instead of a quant—but I know someone clever who has done both
With regards to why quant finance is becoming more popular: they sponsor everything in math and informatics and directly say "once you're in undergrad, please apply". It's a common joke in the olympiad community that you never have to buy T-shirts once your olympiad career is over because you'll have gotten so many from sponsors. This is not an exaggeration; I've participated in three non-national olympiads and currently have eight Jane Street T-shirts. A lot of people in my cohort are seriously considering it as a career option because it sounds fun and interesting, and the pay is ridiculously good. (Especially if you're from a country that's not used to US salaries)
Agree. I think it's better/more targeted recruiting efforts like you mention, as well as a larger capacity to hire than 10 years ago. Full time graduate hires have grown a huge amount in the last 10 years, though mostly since 2020.
Would honestly make a wonderful nextflix show. Each season re-enacts the trajectories (from young student to adult) of say 5 individuals across different cultures. Tracing the paths of their observable careers and latent minds, esp how they respond to the tension between purity and wealth, would be riveting. So interesting that one ended up as a monk instead of a quant—but I know someone clever who has done both
With regards to why quant finance is becoming more popular: they sponsor everything in math and informatics and directly say "once you're in undergrad, please apply". It's a common joke in the olympiad community that you never have to buy T-shirts once your olympiad career is over because you'll have gotten so many from sponsors. This is not an exaggeration; I've participated in three non-national olympiads and currently have eight Jane Street T-shirts. A lot of people in my cohort are seriously considering it as a career option because it sounds fun and interesting, and the pay is ridiculously good. (Especially if you're from a country that's not used to US salaries)
Agree. I think it's better/more targeted recruiting efforts like you mention, as well as a larger capacity to hire than 10 years ago. Full time graduate hires have grown a huge amount in the last 10 years, though mostly since 2020.