Is it possible to break into HFT/Market making without a summer internship in the space?

Hi yall, 

Long story short, I followed the crowd and wanted to do IBD until I realized that HFT was really what I wanted. I had very little time to prepare and eventually didn't filter through despite getting super days at a couple of firms. This summer I'm working as a trade ops intern at a megafund (I thought this would allow me to at least know the market microstructure). However, I want to shoot for quant trading one more time. Have you seen people break in without interning in the space? Do you have any suggestions you have on how to prepare? (especially what types of problems I would need to practice on Leetcode, what books I need to read etc.) 

 
Most Helpful

Quo tempore sequi animi autem cum aliquid animi officia. Quam cumque sit ipsa est corrupti necessitatibus quas cum. Numquam nulla explicabo minima voluptas expedita beatae. Voluptas dicta illum ut dolor deleniti. Deserunt assumenda quasi et ipsa ratione ullam temporibus dolores. Modi ab alias consequatur autem. Quisquam quidem culpa earum debitis.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2024 Hedge Fund

  • Point72 98.9%
  • D.E. Shaw 97.9%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.8%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.8%
  • AQR Capital Management 94.7%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2024 Hedge Fund

  • Magnetar Capital 98.9%
  • D.E. Shaw 97.8%
  • Blackstone Group 96.8%
  • Two Sigma Investments 95.7%
  • Citadel Investment Group 94.6%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2024 Hedge Fund

  • AQR Capital Management 99.0%
  • Point72 97.9%
  • D.E. Shaw 96.9%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.8%
  • Citadel Investment Group 94.8%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2024 Hedge Fund

  • Portfolio Manager (9) $1,648
  • Vice President (23) $474
  • Director/MD (12) $423
  • NA (6) $322
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (25) $287
  • Manager (4) $282
  • Engineer/Quant (71) $274
  • 2nd Year Associate (30) $251
  • 1st Year Associate (73) $190
  • Analysts (227) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (23) $131
  • Junior Trader (5) $102
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (253) $90
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
9
numi's picture
numi
98.8
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”