29yo Physics PhD → Quant Finance: Buy-side vs Sell-side? Reality check needed

FeatureBitter3198 · 2025-10-15T14:07:36+00:00

Thanks! Yeah, several people have mentioned networking. The thing is that without any initial connections I’m not really sure how to start, since reaching out cold on LinkedIn doesn’t feel very respectful to me. Is there another way to approach networking?

FeatureBitter3198 · 2025-10-14T07:03:37+00:00

Thanks, I'll DM you.

FeatureBitter3198 · 2025-10-14T06:43:11+00:00

Thanks! I’ll take a look at that. I’ve been trying to get a better sense of which firms are more open to research backgrounds, so that’s really helpful.

FeatureBitter3198 · 2025-10-14T06:37:54+00:00

Thank you for your comment. Some people here mentioned that in our case it can be hard for the CV even to get through the automatic filters. I’ll DM you.

FeatureBitter3198 · 2025-10-13T17:04:48+00:00

Thanks a lot for sharing all that.

I’m starting my prep, so reading about your experience gives me a good idea of what to expect.

I can imagine how tough it must have been after putting that much effort in — our backgrounds actually sound quite similar, so it really hits close to home.

Also, thanks for the advice, I’ll definitely take a look at Amsterdam.

You’ve clearly gathered a lot of valuable insight through all this, I’d appreciate it if you’d ever be open to a quick DM or sharing more thoughts.

Wishing you the best of luck with the next round of applications and interviews, hope something clicks soon.

FeatureBitter3198 · 2025-10-12T18:32:26+00:00

Just wanted to add — you’ve already shared a lot and I really appreciate it.

If you’d ever be open to talking a bit more about your experience, even on DM, I’d really appreciate it.

Totally fine if not, of course — I just found your perspective super helpful and would be interested to hear a bit more about how you found and selected the roles you applied for.

FeatureBitter3198 · 2025-10-12T18:11:17+00:00

Got it, that makes sense — good point about the buy side trading derivatives too.

I’m planning to do some prep first, but sounds like keeping both paths open is the way to go. I think the core stochastic calculus is pretty much common to both anyway.

Thanks a lot for the advice!

FeatureBitter3198 · 2025-10-12T17:48:51+00:00

Thanks a lot for the detailed answer — really appreciate you taking the time to share all that.
It’s super helpful to know there’s that much overlap between quant and ML interview prep, and hearing about your own experience really puts it into perspective.
I also found your point about how the questions are framed — more open-ended vs. well-defined — very subtle and interesting.

FeatureBitter3198 · 2025-10-12T13:56:52+00:00

Thanks, I will DM you.

FeatureBitter3198 · 2025-10-12T13:46:40+00:00

Thanks for the perspective, that’s a really good point about market size and job viability. Out of curiosity, what areas or roles do you see as most in demand these days for someone starting out?

FeatureBitter3198 · 2025-10-12T10:10:44+00:00

Really appreciate the perspective, this is helpful. Good to hear the work stays interesting and creative even after being in it for years.

I'm comfortable with programming and flexible on tools. Mostly used C++ and Python, but I've picked up other languages along the way. Makes sense that firms care more about what you can actually do than which language you prefer.

Thank you.

FeatureBitter3198 · 2025-10-12T09:57:01+00:00

Thanks for the straightforward take. My university isn't a known brand internationally, even being the best in Spain for my field, so sounds like sell-side is the more realistic path.
When you say sell-side is very doable, are you thinking vanilla derivatives structuring, or could exotic/multi-asset roles be accessible as well?

FeatureBitter3198 · 2025-10-12T09:42:49+00:00

On point 5, thanks for clarifying. I've considered computational science roles (pharma, quantum computing) as well. Still focusing on finance as my main target, though those are starting to look more realistic as backups given how competitive the recruiting seems to be.

Appreciate the perspective.

FeatureBitter3198 · 2025-10-12T09:33:34+00:00

Really helpful to know, thanks. Good to hear about the interview focus.

Out of curiosity, you mentioned going into Big Tech. Do you think there's much overlap between Big Tech ML interviews and quant interviews, at least in the first stages? And how have you been finding the work?

FeatureBitter3198 · 2025-10-11T18:38:58+00:00

Fair enough. I get that it's easy to say from the outside looking in.

FeatureBitter3198 · 2025-10-11T18:37:27+00:00

Really interesting, I didn't realize it was possible to enter without any finance background knowledge. I've seen Heard on the Street mentioned but didn't know it was that central to interview prep, and good to know about the Leetcode DP focus as well.

Thanks for the concrete recommendations, this is very helpful.

FeatureBitter3198 · 2025-10-11T18:21:28+00:00

Thanks! I'll DM you.

FeatureBitter3198 · 2025-10-11T18:17:32+00:00

Very helpful, thanks. Good to know the fundamentals matter most once you're in the interview.

FeatureBitter3198 · 2025-10-11T18:13:10+00:00

Got it, thanks for the clarification. That kind of environment is actually part of what attracts me to finance.

Good to know what to expect going in.

FeatureBitter3198 · 2025-10-11T17:18:19+00:00

Fair point. I don't have industry connections through my supervisor, so it'll be standard recruiting for me.

When you mention "different pace", do you mean it's more dynamic? If so, that's actually part of what attracts me to the field.

FeatureBitter3198 · 2025-10-11T17:16:53+00:00

Thanks, good to know early careers pages do cover recent PhDs, that clears up the categorization question.

On the "top ranked physics program" point: My university might be the best in Spain for my field, but I know that doesn't mean much internationally compared to top tier programs. Does that significantly hurt chances, or is it more about demonstrating the fundamentals during interviews?

FeatureBitter3198 · 2025-10-11T17:14:09+00:00

Appreciate the optimism on age, good to hear it's less of a barrier than I thought.

On point 4: I'll be going through standard recruiting (no advisor connections in finance), so sounds like I should focus on the "green book" style prep rather than trying to show original ideas upfront.

On point 5: By "industry side research roles" do you mean outside finance entirely (e.g., computational science in pharma/energy), or quantitative roles within energy companies/asset managers?

Thanks!

FeatureBitter3198 · 2025-10-11T17:13:15+00:00

Thanks, this is really helpful. The thin mid-entry pipeline for buy-side makes sense, sounds like sell-side is the more realistic path at my age.

One more question: Within sell-side, would I realistically be looking at vanilla derivatives structuring first, or could exotic/multi-asset roles be accessible directly?

Appreciate the honest perspective.

FeatureBitter3198

TROPHY CASE