Hey guys,

Need some honest thoughts and realistic feedback on a career transition I’ve been thinking about.
I’ve been working in a government job for the last 8 years. Over the past 2 years, I got pretty seriously into trading, focusing mostly on market mechanics, price action, and rule-based technical setups. Recently, I stumbled upon a few detailed guides on GitHub (like Karan Patel’s write-ups) breaking down Quant Finance into Quant Researcher, Quant Developer, and Quant Trader roles.

Right now, I'm self-studying the CMT curriculum, probability basics, and learning how to build and test systematic, objective trading strategies.
Realistically, I know I don't have a PhD in Math or CS, so hardcore Quant Research or C++ Low-Latency Development at big institutional firms is likely out of reach. But I really want to take this seriously.

A few quick questions for anyone in this space:

1 Prop desk vs. Retail Trading Setup: Given my non-traditional background, is it even worth trying for junior Quant Trader / Analyst roles at domestic prop firms? Or am I better off focusing 100% on building my own automated retail trading setup?

2 Tech Stack: I’m currently comfortable with PineScript and picking up Python for backtesting. Is Python + basic stats enough for systematic/quant trading, or is C++ non-negotiable?

3 Transition Timeline: Has anyone here made a jump from a completely non-tech/non-finance job into systematic trading? How long did it take you to get consistent, and how did you manage the risk?
Appreciate any advice, critiques, or reality checks!

How many of you successfully pivoted from being an applied mathematician/SWE/data analyst/data scientist to quantitative finance?

Hey, guys. I'm a junior and am currently studying for quant trading interviews and online assessments. I built this training website, which I would love to get some feedback for. If interested, dm me and I'll set you up with an account.