Trading companies do pay well, but that's a pretty boring and not value-adding industry to pigeonhole oneself into, and the corporate culture is beyond terrible

Trading companies do pay well, but that's a pretty boring and not value-adding industry to pigeonhole oneself into, and the corporate culture is beyond terrible. There aren't a plethora of interesting jobs sw devs can jump from and to in Chicago. Trust me, I wouldn't have moved if this wasn't the case.