Where is the money at these days in computing?

For all of these grad roles as a developer at IB's or trade firms, whats the actual environment like? I'm currently on a placement developing software at one of the leaders in IT (e.g. Google/Microsoft/IBM) and although I'm not getting paid as much as the wages quoted in this thread for grads I wonder if the environment in the IT focused companies makes up for it.

E.G. You completely set your own schedule as long as you get your work done, work from home when you want, come in when you want and take a few hours off as long as you make it up, extremely relaxed environment; wear whatever you want (not uncommon to see senior managers in shorts during the summer), go play on the consoles/foosball whenever you want.
(All definitely true where I work and in the others mentioned from people I've talked to)

Working like that doesn't seem possible to me in the financial institutions, seems like they would employ a completely different structure but that's just from looking in on them. I guess you could argue that the money makes up for it which I could see as being true for a grad but if you move up in the ranks at the companies I mentioned you could earn similar amounts to some of those quoted.

Happy to be proven wrong about the financial environments or even just to hear what they're like in terms of the developing environment as I'll be leaving uni in just over a year so need to consider all options :).
 
Jamie23 said:
I wonder if the environment in the IT focused companies makes up for it.

E.G. You completely set your own schedule as long as you get your work done, work from home when you want, come in when you want and take a few hours off as long as you make it up, extremely relaxed environment; wear whatever you want.
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I don't speak from direct experience but my understanding is that very few big investment banking institutions will have that sort of environment. A former colleague of mine who used to work in banking IT said he'd work for such firms again as it was all very much nose to the grindstone stuff.
 
Jamie23 said:
For all of these grad roles as a developer at IB's or trade firms, whats the actual environment like? I'm currently on a placement developing software at one of the leaders in IT (e.g. Google/Microsoft/IBM) and although I'm not getting paid as much as the wages quoted in this thread for grads I wonder if the environment in the IT focused companies makes up for it.
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I'm at a vendor.. pay is lower and the environment relaxed - colleagues who've left for banks work longer hours, more stress, more pay... then again the guys who've left and end up doing application support on a trading floor can get fairly well rewarded (especially when contracting).

Downside is IT in banks isn't well respected, while you can do well from contracting you can easily hit a glass ceiling... while, with some experience under your belt, you might be taking home 600+ a day in your contracting role on the trading floor - you're still going to have to take a load of abuse from traders who earn more than you do, might well be much younger than you and to whom you're just an IT gimp...

If you're particularly bright and want to work in finance without having to put up with that sort of BS then get yourself into a fund (one run by quants) or good prop firm.
Options market makers might also be worth a look (especially if you want the informal environment, less politics etc..)

Otherwise, you might well be better off pursuing things with the tech firm you've already done a placement with.
 
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jonneymendoza said:
not a grad mate. 6 year experience dev now and all the recruiters keep tossing unattractive roles to me.

software developer role in java and/or android.

i just did a codability test on one and wrote a app on another.
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Was the codility one at Bluecrest? I know they're big on using that over there.
One of the guys who worked on my team at my last place recently started a permie job at Man group and he's bloody useless so hedge funds don't just hire geniuses!
 
Jamie23 said:
For all of these grad roles as a developer at IB's or trade firms, whats the actual environment like? I'm currently on a placement developing software at one of the leaders in IT (e.g. Google/Microsoft/IBM) and although I'm not getting paid as much as the wages quoted in this thread for grads I wonder if the environment in the IT focused companies makes up for it.

E.G. You completely set your own schedule as long as you get your work done, work from home when you want, come in when you want and take a few hours off as long as you make it up, extremely relaxed environment; wear whatever you want (not uncommon to see senior managers in shorts during the summer), go play on the consoles/foosball whenever you want.
(All definitely true where I work and in the others mentioned from people I've talked to)

Working like that doesn't seem possible to me in the financial institutions, seems like they would employ a completely different structure but that's just from looking in on them. I guess you could argue that the money makes up for it which I could see as being true for a grad but if you move up in the ranks at the companies I mentioned you could earn similar amounts to some of those quoted.

Happy to be proven wrong about the financial environments or even just to hear what they're like in terms of the developing environment as I'll be leaving uni in just over a year so need to consider all options :).
Click to expand...

I never have worked in th finance side of things but from what I know it is not at all like working for a top IT firm.

I work for a smaller startup, turn up whenever I want, leave when eve I want, take breaks whenever I want for as long as I want, play ping pong in winter or. an hour of tennis in the summer, bu-weekly massages. Etc. you are actually forbidden to wear a suit.

Hours are in going to be much longer in Banking from what I have heard.
 
Haircut said:
Was the codility one at Bluecrest? I know they're big on using that over there.
One of the guys who worked on my team at my last place recently started a permie job at Man group and he's bloody useless so hedge funds don't just hire geniuses!
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Not Harry, surely?!
 
Jamie23 said:
For all of these grad roles as a developer at IB's or trade firms, whats the actual environment like? I'm currently on a placement developing software at one of the leaders in IT (e.g. Google/Microsoft/IBM) and although I'm not getting paid as much as the wages quoted in this thread for grads I wonder if the environment in the IT focused companies makes up for it.

E.G. You completely set your own schedule as long as you get your work done, work from home when you want, come in when you want and take a few hours off as long as you make it up, extremely relaxed environment; wear whatever you want (not uncommon to see senior managers in shorts during the summer), go play on the consoles/foosball whenever you want.
(All definitely true where I work and in the others mentioned from people I've talked to)

Working like that doesn't seem possible to me in the financial institutions, seems like they would employ a completely different structure but that's just from looking in on them. I guess you could argue that the money makes up for it which I could see as being true for a grad but if you move up in the ranks at the companies I mentioned you could earn similar amounts to some of those quoted.

Happy to be proven wrong about the financial environments or even just to hear what they're like in terms of the developing environment as I'll be leaving uni in just over a year so need to consider all options :).
Click to expand...

That environment is exactly like where I work (Hedge fund...already mentioned elsewhere in this thread). I set my own scheduled, pick which stories I want to work on, I can work from home if I want to, but it often makes more sense to come into the office, and I enjoy working in the office. Relaxed dress code (definitely no suits for anyone), no idea about shorts in the summer, the office air-con is fierce...both main offices have table football...

...however that is definitely on the Hedge fund rather than IB side. IBs tend to be far more restrictive...
 
jonneymendoza said:
????Harry? lol

Who in here actually works in a hedge fund/IB in London? Send me a trust please. thanks
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Done.

And what's wrong with being called Harry? I know two people who joined recently, one is a Harry and the other is a guy whose name I didn't know in another team. The guy in question is the guy who isn't "Harry".

:)
 
diamount said:
Ethical hackers get paid a ****load.
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No, they can get paid a lot depending on who you work for, and depends on what you call a ****load ;)

I did it for 6 months for a large retail financial and the salary was less than appealing, earning almost twice that now doing other security work.

jonneymendoza said:
And how am i suppose to get that experience if hedge funds and the likes only look for people in that domain
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One route in could be to go work for a consultancy (Logica, IBM etc), get put on projects in the areas you're wanting to move into and build up your network of contacts.
 
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Ethical hacking is a funny thing, you get paid a decent amount for a bit and then you either do something else or jump up to about 60k. lots more money to be made in other areas of security though. The most beneficial thing for me is working for a big and/or diverse companies which let experiance other things. I know people in boutiques who struggle to get experiance doing anything but PT
 
J.B said:
The most beneficial thing for me is working for a big and/or diverse companies which let experiance other things. I know people in boutiques who struggle to get experiance doing anything but PT
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This is invaluable if you do ever want to move on, it's helped me no end doing lots of things in that area rather than being 'stuck' doing just one highly specialist thing.

Definitely puts you in a very good position.
 
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