
Ask HN: New Grad Software Developer at HFTs vs. Big SV Companies - hftorsvcpn
I&#x27;m considering offers between those two kinds of companies HFT - (HRT, Two Sigma, Jane Street, ...) vs Big SV (Google, FB, ...) both for software engineer&#x2F;developer position. From the offers I got, those trading firms pay significantly more than SV companies (base salary is nearly 1.5-1.7x and expected bonus is HUGE). Personally, I have only interned at tech companies in SV and do not have any experience working with Wall Street firms, so I&#x27;m quite scared with working there (work&#x2F;life balance, culture, etc.) Anybody has any thoughts? What are the factors that I should consider when making this decision? Will the compensation in SV companies grow comparable to that HFTs as I proceed to a more senior position? I feel far more comfortable in SV companies but the money really makes me think hard.<p>Also, how hard is it to move around between these two different areas once I chose to join one of the companies? Any body found that transition is easy&#x2F;hard? Please share.<p>Thanks!
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allenleein
Please read this :

Should I intern at Google or Jane Street? [https://www.quora.com/Should-I-
intern-at-Google-or-Jane-Stre...](https://www.quora.com/Should-I-intern-at-
Google-or-Jane-Street)

It helps me a lot.

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fanzhang
I don't think the pay gap will close. While surely you'll get raises in SV,
you'll also get similar ratio raises in HFT.

The best way to see fit is if you can talk to others who have worked in both
areas -- take an internship if you can.

From a friend who worked in both areas, I've been told the major difference is
not work hours, but work intensity. He preferred finance in the end (and is
still there), and thought finance has a higher intensity/focus in pace of
work.

