Career Decision: Software vs. Trading

[ArturiusX]

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I once read that if you are smart enough to be an engineer you are smart enough not to be an engineer. Does anyone who does it like it?

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Engineering is pretty broad though. I'm sure theres some high ranking engineers with MBAs and a wealth of experience who can pull 300k a year + a ton of benefits. Or engineers who start their own companies and go on to make millions. Having a skill doesn't entitle you to anything, its how you use it.

[turnipmonster]

plenty of ppl like it, but it's the type of thing where if you have to ask if you should be a trader or programmer....

[llleisure]

I worked for MSFT for a long time and if you're going that route and you can get on at Google, I'd go there rather than MSFT right now. MSFT is a great company but Google is the hot place now, MSFT is an old (not dying) stable elephant. You won't get options than wind up making you a fortune and you'd probably be somewhere well under $200k/year as a software guy - even guys that have been around a long time are under $200k, few get anywhere even close to 200.

There is the http://minimsft.blogspot.com/ blog which gives some interesting and fairly accurate insights into MSFT that MSFT would rather not be out there. I'd look at it a bit before you make your decision too.

Traders, from what I've read and heard, don't have that kind of cap on their earnings - you might be able to make a lot of money as a trader I don't know for sure though.

[Orlando Salazar]

I interned at GS a few summers ago...now I work in credit research.... Equity/options trading is exciting and can be VERY profitable. However, who you will work for and what your long term goals are count alot. If you end up at a good shop you can probably make good money for 3-10 years without NEEDing a hiatus (faarrrr more stressfull than poker). But, chances are, you wont be able to easily get back into a software firm at an appropriate level for your high cal resume (conversely, after time in softwar u would be able to easily trade on the street if you pass Level I CFA among other tests).
I'd say, if you have software company ambitions, you'll be able to start one of your own with the capital you've amassed from a trading job. Wall street is ok and will challenge your will power/drive mostly, then your intellect. But the Street is about $$$
Software is kinda the inverse.

[gergery]

Most important thing is to go do what you are passionate about and will enjoy most. if thats software then do that, if its trading then do that. from your post it sounds like its trading tho.

if you are talented enough to get an offer from MS, get a trading offer, and make $50k playing poker then you will make money whatever you do so don't worry about that.

and if you are a junior then it makes more sense to do trading as you already know what working for MS is like but this is freeroll on seeing what trading is like. MS already likes you -- don't worry that they won't like you later, thats unlikely to happen, you just spin good story.

-g

[ep510]

The thing is, I'm not completely sure I'll enjoy trading. On top of that, I've heard from many sources that as an intern/analyst for S&T, you're basically grabbing coffee for senior members and get a lot of crap all the time. So I'll be sacrificing a pretty easy life style (with similar pay starting off) at Microsoft to get crapped on for like 2 years before I build credibility in trading.

[ep510]

I've actually heard that MSFT pays better than google right now (have you heard otherwise?). Although I have to admit, google's campus looks like a vacation resort and makes microsoft's look like a retirement home. Also, I'm in a pretty interesting department (TV Web Services), and not in the boring Office/Vista/whatever.

[schnoodleC]

I'm a "high end" software engineer. People who love engineering love 1) to make things, 2) working on things that will leave a legacy (rather than just making money), 3) the team work involved, 4) technology/math/science.

I make mid 100s + benefits (about a 20k package) for a very low stress, fun, job and don't work too many hours (around 40 per week ave). I have also made around 500,000 from stock comp in addition to my salary over a 10 year career, but most of that was during the bubble. I'd say the EV on my stock comp over the next 5 years is probably only 70k on top of my salary.

Hope that helps.

[ep510]

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I once read that if you are smart enough to be an engineer you are smart enough not to be an engineer. Does anyone who does it like it?

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Good point. There are very few people in EECS at Berkeley that like it. I'd say more than 75% dislike it. Thing is, by the time you find out you want out, you're close enough to graduating that it's not worth switching.