Success is a sailboat. You can't control the wind (that's the beta/luck), but your talent and hard work are how you adjust the sails to actually reach the destination while everyone else is just drifting.
Great content - big fan of this way of thinking. Reminds me of the book "Outliers". What does this concept make you want to tell your younger self/young people right now?
Great question! The landscape has changed a lot since I started. Awareness of quant trading firms is way higher now, and so is starting pay. That shifts the incentive mix for people entering the field.
I was certainly motivated by money, but I was also genuinely curious about figuring out how markets work. Without that curiosity piece, I probably wouldn’t have lasted more than a few years.
So my advice isn’t wholly original: try to find something where you’re good at the work and the work itself is intrinsically motivating.
The other thing I’d add: don’t underestimate the value of being part of a good group or community with norms and culture that help you grow. The reason to go to an Ivy League school isn’t because the classes are better. And if you can actually build community or culture yourself, that’s an incredibly valuable and probably underrated skill.
Success is a sailboat. You can't control the wind (that's the beta/luck), but your talent and hard work are how you adjust the sails to actually reach the destination while everyone else is just drifting.
As your former coworker deeply feel the knowledge that where I’m at is mostly luck
Great content - big fan of this way of thinking. Reminds me of the book "Outliers". What does this concept make you want to tell your younger self/young people right now?
Great question! The landscape has changed a lot since I started. Awareness of quant trading firms is way higher now, and so is starting pay. That shifts the incentive mix for people entering the field.
I was certainly motivated by money, but I was also genuinely curious about figuring out how markets work. Without that curiosity piece, I probably wouldn’t have lasted more than a few years.
So my advice isn’t wholly original: try to find something where you’re good at the work and the work itself is intrinsically motivating.
The other thing I’d add: don’t underestimate the value of being part of a good group or community with norms and culture that help you grow. The reason to go to an Ivy League school isn’t because the classes are better. And if you can actually build community or culture yourself, that’s an incredibly valuable and probably underrated skill.
never thought of life monte carlo sims