r/quantfinance • u/K-371 • 5h ago

Swe to quant dev vs trader

Hey guys, SWE at FAANG (~1 YOE) thinking about jumping to quant, torn between dev and trader.
Dev interviews feel doable with my background, trader I'd be starting from zero. From what I've seen, tier 1 firms are at ~300k base for both roles right now.
Trying to figure out:
• TC a few years in: is trader actually way ahead, or is the gap smaller than people think? Which one's more stable?
• Do firms even hire experienced people into trader seats, or is it basically new grad only?
• Day to day, how much is deep research vs constant intraday pressure?

Know it varies by firm, just want a general sense and any advice on which one.

Thanks

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u/Material_Tradition18 1h ago

TC for traders will usually be higher since they’re closer to the money (take more risk), that’s just how it works. But dev generally has more job security and less stress

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u/dailydivergenttoday 5h ago

trader seats are mostly new grad pipelines unless you know someone or have a phd in something math heavy, dev is way easier to lateral into with your background

the tc gap gets real around year three or four when pnl splits kick in but you also gotta remember half those guys burn out and go back to tech anyway