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NYC's financial industry pays well for tech jobs, I'd guess more people get a nice 9-5 job with a good salary vs a startup job with a lot of pressure.

by free652 13y ago

chimeracoder 13y ago
> I'd guess more people get a nice 9-5 job with a good salary vs a startup job with a lot of pressure. NYC financial jobs are not 9-5 or without a lot of pressure. For any job that you're likely to get in your 20s, NYC finance jobs pay worse, have far longer hours, and are much more high-pressure. Beyond your 20s, it varies greatly by level of seniority, so it gets tougher to compare, but the high-paying jobs still require very long hours.
- rfnslyr 13y ago
  I've been working 12+ hour days and working more at home after work for the past 3 months and I work at a bank. It's ridiculous. It's not low pressure in the slightest.
- dev_jim 13y ago
  > For any job that you're likely to get in your 20s, NYC finance jobs pay worse, have far longer hours, and are much more high-pressure. If you're working in the front office then your pay is going to be a multiple of a startup job. And it's going to be significantly higher then any established company in the area (Amazon, Facebook, Google). A good rule of thumb is your base will be similar what established companies pay and your bonus is all gravy. Pressure and hours vary by firm. It's hard to generalize.
  - bigbang 13y ago
    I'm not sure how much bonuses software engineers get. I've heard it's great for bankers, traders etc. But do software engineers(who work on building infra/tools, not the kind who write trading algos) get paid good bonuses as well? By good I mean 30%+
    - dev_jim 13y ago
      The closer to the trade you are the higher bonus is as a percentage of your total comp. I did mention "front office" in my original post. - Infrastructure is vital to most trades. Bonuses are going to more than 30% if you're on the cutting edge here - prop shops, some technology oriented hedge funds, and some banks. - If by tools you mean GUIs then no. - Engineers who write trading algos (or more likely algo components that are used by a trader at a higher level) will have a bonus that is more than 30%.
      - bigbang 13y ago
        Thanks for the clarification. Is it feasible to get into a prop shop or hedge fund as a programmer and "graduate" to trader? How common is it?
        dev_jim 13y ago
        Common enough. Skills are so specialized thhough that it doesn't always make sense to switch though. Its a different career track, not a promotion. Top end trader will make more but top end developer will make more then the average trader. You should focus on what you are good at.

NYC's financial industry pays well for tech jobs, I'd guess more people get a nice 9-5 job with a good salary vs a startup job with a lot of pressure.

by free652 13y ago

NYC's financial industry pays well for tech jobs, I'd guess more people get a nice 9-5 job with a good salary vs a startup job with a lot of pressure.

chimeracoder 13y ago

> I'd guess more people get a nice 9-5 job with a good salary vs a startup job with a lot of pressure. NYC financial jobs are not 9-5 or without a lot of pressure. For any job that you're likely to get in your 20s, NYC finance jobs pay worse, have far longer hours, and are much more high-pressure. Beyond your 20s, it varies greatly by level of seniority, so it gets tougher to compare, but the high-paying jobs still require very long hours.

rfnslyr 13y ago
I've been working 12+ hour days and working more at home after work for the past 3 months and I work at a bank. It's ridiculous. It's not low pressure in the slightest.
dev_jim 13y ago
> For any job that you're likely to get in your 20s, NYC finance jobs pay worse, have far longer hours, and are much more high-pressure. If you're working in the front office then your pay is going to be a multiple of a startup job. And it's going to be significantly higher then any established company in the area (Amazon, Facebook, Google). A good rule of thumb is your base will be similar what established companies pay and your bonus is all gravy. Pressure and hours vary by firm. It's hard to generalize.
- bigbang 13y ago
  I'm not sure how much bonuses software engineers get. I've heard it's great for bankers, traders etc. But do software engineers(who work on building infra/tools, not the kind who write trading algos) get paid good bonuses as well? By good I mean 30%+
  - dev_jim 13y ago
    The closer to the trade you are the higher bonus is as a percentage of your total comp. I did mention "front office" in my original post. - Infrastructure is vital to most trades. Bonuses are going to more than 30% if you're on the cutting edge here - prop shops, some technology oriented hedge funds, and some banks. - If by tools you mean GUIs then no. - Engineers who write trading algos (or more likely algo components that are used by a trader at a higher level) will have a bonus that is more than 30%.
    - bigbang 13y ago
      Thanks for the clarification. Is it feasible to get into a prop shop or hedge fund as a programmer and "graduate" to trader? How common is it?
      - dev_jim 13y ago
        Common enough. Skills are so specialized thhough that it doesn't always make sense to switch though. Its a different career track, not a promotion. Top end trader will make more but top end developer will make more then the average trader. You should focus on what you are good at.