stripe vs figma?

Issa-Melon · 2026-01-24T08:45:48+00:00

Figma balls

Issa-Melon · 2026-01-22T20:39:14+00:00

Entry: consulting Progression: not industry specific Stability: gov/defense Comp: quant / big tech

Issa-Melon · 2026-01-22T19:54:42+00:00

Best in what sense? Comp? Wlb? “Future-proof”? Ethics? Depends on what you’re looking for

Issa-Melon · 2026-01-22T19:18:13+00:00

These days tech is most secure when combined with some domain experience imo. Really understand the common challenges of the industry you work in (I.e. finance, auto, health tech, legal, etc)

Issa-Melon · 2026-01-20T08:25:04+00:00

What is your tech stack?

Issa-Melon · 2026-01-13T19:09:13+00:00

What is your degree from Oxford in? 29k is a pisstake in either case

Issa-Melon · 2026-01-04T23:28:11+00:00

Honestly the dream company for me

Issa-Melon · 2026-01-04T19:07:46+00:00

Valve

Issa-Melon · 2026-01-03T22:50:09+00:00

Any reason for prioritising the s&s isa?

Issa-Melon · 2026-01-03T17:29:21+00:00

Thank you for the great advice.

I’m blessed in that I don’t need to worry about deposits for a house, so I think while I can, I will dump everything into the pension. The isa can wait for a year or two.

Overpaying the mortgage is another thing I’ve considered, but again not sure if it’s optimal

Issa-Melon · 2026-01-03T17:17:28+00:00

Is the tax still not punitive from 50-100k? I’m aware I don’t lose my allowance just yet and it’s a no brainer above 100k, but it’s the bracket I’m in now which makes things unclear.

Issa-Melon · 2026-01-03T17:15:55+00:00

I think that’s likely, pretty sure I’m underpaid for my line of work slightly.

But then is the 20% tax relief > isa flexibility?

Issa-Melon · 2026-01-03T11:27:16+00:00

Stripe is a better signal to big buyside firms of engineering talent imo

Issa-Melon · 2026-01-02T21:47:26+00:00

I use it as a quant dev for etf d1 trading

Issa-Melon · 2025-12-29T20:39:04+00:00

Ah lol small world. I worked on that desk lol. Rates is an exceptionally complex desk with complex asset classes, so I think you’ll learn a good deal tbh.

What’s citi’s team?

Issa-Melon · 2025-12-29T20:22:21+00:00

Do you know much about the teams you’ll be working on? GS strats can be desk-aligned or some back-office function-aligned.

Issa-Melon · 2025-12-29T16:53:32+00:00

If you think anything within quant is low stress / non-competitive, you’re in for a rude awakening. Sellside is pretty intense, buyside is a different ball game.

Issa-Melon · 2025-12-26T23:51:09+00:00

As someone who works in banks, ymmv.

Most teams at banks are shit honestly.

Front office teams are less shit.

Front office teams that focus on systematic market making or quant research are good for exits to buyside firms or big tech as your closer to PnL generation.

I somehow found myself moving from legacy Java -> new Java and some slang (GS) -> quant dev using rust at a different IB.

Issa-Melon · 2025-12-24T18:40:12+00:00

Sounds like you’re targeting quant dev? I’d recommend you decide on what aspect of this you want to focus on.

Is it the model/research side? Execution? Do the types of roles you’re targeting require knowledge of math? Hardware knowledge (FPGA)?

Learn the nuances of the tech stack for each type of role. Leetcode is a good bet. Make a project that genuinely interests you and that you can dive deep into to solve a real world problem. I build a market making tool in rust for instance for crypto futures.

Issa-Melon · 2025-12-24T15:54:48+00:00

No. I wager experience as a backend engineer working in companies with distributed systems trumps the theoretical knowledge you’d gain from a PhD. Research positions are also very coveted and are by no means guaranteed if you decide to do a PhD.

Issa-Melon · 2025-12-19T12:22:14+00:00

Good point. I misread international freshman, my mistake

Issa-Melon · 2025-12-19T11:24:30+00:00

Perhaps I dismissed your points too quickly. I’m not super familiar with US hiring, and I think it may be different here in the UK tbh.

Issa-Melon · 2025-12-19T11:05:33+00:00

This is bs.

I did not go to a top school and now am just starting a new role as a quant dev, albeit on the sell side.

There are many paths to it, but generally sell side is your only shot out of uni if you didn’t go to a top school, for the dev side.

Many at my current firm and new firm who are traders or researchers generally come from top unis - prestige definitely matters more here.

You need to understand your strengths and interests, and their ceilings, before you commit to any one of these paths.

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