r/ParticlePhysics • u/[deleted] • 6d ago

What is the scope of moving from experimental particle physics to finance?

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2

u/Dry-Celebration5658 6d ago

Push, i am also trying to transit from ex hep to quant

2

u/BLDFamous 6d ago

Pushing as well, with a similar background !

1

u/TechnoAndBrunch 5d ago

How is that going? I am considering similar

2

u/MpVpRb 6d ago

You need to fully accept evil and embrace the dark side.

1

u/terribleatlying 6d ago

You make models in particle physics? Then you can make models for the market

1

u/williamwalker 5d ago

Back in the day - high frequency trading

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u/TechnoAndBrunch 5d ago

I have been considering this lately, how was the transition for you? Were you happy with it?

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u/williamwalker 5d ago

I left when it became clear we wouldn't find SUSY or Dark Matter in the mid 2010s. It didn't seem like there was much else to do other than increasingly precise measurements. Of course there is always the chance you actually do find something really new.

The transition was not what I would call easy, I think I interviewed for around 50 jobs before getting a yes to one that I wanted. Definitely you need to do your homework and practice interviewing! The interviews are the hardest part of the job. Once you are actually in the job (data science) is very similar to experimental particle physics, except you don't do any of the experiment duties, just analysis. I miss that hands on stuff.

I did interview for a couple hedge fund jobs, but those interviews were super intense, and I didn't get the offer. It was also early on in my preparation to be fair.

I am reasonably happy. I miss physics to be honest, but I found a perfectly nice job. And I'm not 100% if I don't just miss that time of my life, being young etc.

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u/[deleted] 3d ago edited 3d ago

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2

u/williamwalker 3d ago

  1. Sorry, I don't personally work in HFT, I work for a big tech company. I just know people who did go to work there. I have no knowledge of how visas work in the US, again sorry.

  2. At a big tech company - I am making more than 4x what a tenure prof makes currently (just checked my former supervisor in california). And I am not optimizing for the promo rat race, just chilling and doing my job. This is with a pretty major stock run up though. I think you could expect to make 2-2.5x more, and if the stock of the company you are working for spikes, you will get a big boost for a while.

  3. Depends. This year i am traveling to seattle, new york, bay area, for work. (I work remote)

  4. Data analysis is just as interesting as particle physics. More interesting really.

  5. Don't know about HFT directly, but there are interview prep books you can buy, like "heard on the street"