It really depends on which type of finance you mean. I've worked at some of the world's biggest hedge funds, as well as banks, and they are WILDLY different.

It really depends on which type of finance you mean. I've worked at some of the world's biggest hedge funds, as well as banks, and they are WILDLY different. Hedge funds * Pay can fluctuate pretty drastically depending on what you do. Your value add in this space is to understand the financials more than other software devs. Remember their main goal is to generate money from money, NOT software development. It's a means to an end, so the more you can understand, the more valuable you are. * Intense working environment - there's no real 9-5 here. High turnover, and there tends to be a lot of early turnover, so you either make it or exit quickly. * Fun - generally given the intensity of the environment, you get to know your team really well and becomes a tight knit group. * Expect weekends / holidays when things hit the fan. The amount of money on the line makes it very likely you will be pulled in for emergencies, which will happen. * Deep tech knowledge and moves quickly. Banks * Bureaucracy heavy. You are more likely to find yourself managing paper work than doing software development. The software dev requirements are low, given the complexity is also low. * Aging tech - given the heavy regulations things move slowly. Very slowly. The sense of urgency is replaced by reducing risk of getting something wrong. Often times they compensate with manual procedures over technology. * Very high pay - Banks will pay someone who can understand technology, manage the process, and stay there for a while, very high salaries. So, depending on what you're looking for, YMMV.