By quantitative trading I refer to people who do algorithmic trading for a living. People from tech generally end up becoming quantitative developers(implement

By quantitative trading I refer to people who do algorithmic trading for a living. People from tech generally end up becoming quantitative developers(implement trading strategies other people make),and some go even further and make their own trading strategies(which it what traditional quants do. Correct me if I am wrong here). I would like to know experiences of people who transitioned this field from pure technology. Some key points are: 1. What did you have to learn as a experienced developer to break into this field(do really NEED a Phd in Mathematics or Finance?!?!) 2. Whats the work like? 3. Does it pay as much as it hyped to be? 4. How does it compare to your life back in Tech? 5. How long after working in tech did you make a switch?