Just go to Dimitri Bianco's channel if you want to understand what real quantitative researchers do. Sadly he is the only one on youtube that is an actual practitioner that also makes lot of videos about how to receive the proper education, and I mean PROPER, because most stuff you hear recommended is subpar. I was not able to find anyone besides him that actually is practicing it and has a youtube channel. Please let me(us) know of other authentic practitioners who also created/outlined comprehensive diy curriculums for the quant researcher that has included all the modeling tools to work both on the risk side in banks,insurance companies(which are not focused on trading) and the places that are focused on actual trading. Almost all channels I found that talk about quants are mostly arm chair experts OR offer some HFT "quant" trading course which is ....the equivalent of expecting a nurse to do the job of a surgeon.
I agree, if you’re interested in sell side (outside of mm), go watch Dimitri Bianco. I have no interest in sell side, though so I can’t recommend you anyone else. Keep in mind also that he would probably even agree, he is pretty biased towards sell side and takes a lot of issue with buy side risk analysis. In terms of some people I watch, try Yves Hilpisch, and QuantPy because they seem good. As you said though in terms of the content out there, most of it is scammy garbage so I just don’t watch much. Also to be clear, I don’t claim to be an expert in these topics. I stream my development and learning process, and I make videos on topics that I know about, or that I’ve consulted people in the space about. So as always, everyone should take my opinions on these things with a grain of salt. I pinned your comment because I think it brings up a good point, and I don’t want anyone getting the misconception that I am employed in the space.
UA-cam has recommended several excellent videos. I particularly enjoyed this one. As an international student, I commenced my financial journey last August, focusing on derivatives. While I performed well, my studies were limited to a small college, which lacked comprehensive quantitative finance education. This left me curious about the subject matter. I realized that quantitative finance may involves strategic thinking, coding, and utilizing advanced technology to analyze xxx. However, I faced a decision regarding whether to pursue a finance major. Ultimately, I decided to switch to artificial intelligence and computer science, as I sought a field with a more uncertain future. Despite my lack of knowledge about the field, I appreciate your honest advice.
For Researchers what math knowledge do they look for? Do they look for a deep understanding in Probability/Statisics, linear algebra and courses like that, or do they look for more abstract, less relevant courses like Complex Analysis, Topology etc.
I'm going to make a video about this probably within the next week or so, but pretty much all of the above will be good to know. If you want to be doing actual model development, maybe contour integrals or topological spaces won't particularly relevant, but if you struggle with those things at the level of complexity it will be a huge problem. There's definitely something to be said for the concept of 'mathematical maturity'. The more math you know, and really know how to apply to new situations, the better off you'll be. The keys will be your calc, DE/PDEs, stochastic calc, probability and statistics, linear algebra, etc. but look at add more if you can.
algebraic topology is a totally different game. all the quant maths you mentioned are applied level and no where close to abstract / pure maths. it is like claiming you dk functional analysis you would have big problem to get into quant. 99% quant out there struggle over a 1900 rated number theory problem in cf
Nobody said if you don't know functional analysis you can't be a quant or anything even remotely close to that. These are all standard courses any undergrad can take if they desire and have the prereqs. Topology and algebraic topology are two entirely different things, one is basic and can be taken as an undergrad, the other is not basic.
Hello, great video! What path would you recommend for an Econ major trying to get into quant finance? Pretty good at maths and coding, currently a web developer and I’ve gotten a software engineering internship last year. Thanks
It depends which role you'd like to get into really too much to say specifics. The general advice will be get internships, maybe get involved in undergrad research, and start building out projects that demonstrate your skills ASAP.
Hey Algebraic Continuation, great video! I was wondering if you new any resources that are good for becoming acquainted with numerical methods, data analysis and things of that nature. I’m decently familiar with python and C++ and I’m starting my own projects and research at school and if you could point me in the right direction it would be a big help. Thanks.
I have a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. Should I pursue a master’s or even a PhD if I want to break into quant, specifically in quant research? Also, what field should the master’s be in-computational finance, statistics, or machine learning?
I would never do a PhD just to break into quant, that will be a long and potentially miserable 5-7 years if you don't enjoy research. If you really want to get into research though, that or an MS will be your best bets, I'd think. Weigh the pros and cons of the large cost of an MS against the massive financial opportunity cost of a PhD.
Advice on what i should do if i want to be a quant dev eith good grades but no c++ or python knowledge. in europe. On an internship for 8 months now doing c# and .net core etc so its not really related. Would a masters be necisary in my case?
Grades won't be that important imo, you just need to learn C++ very well and some Python won't hurt. I wouldn't do a Masters, I don't see it being that beneficial unless you're just using it as time to develop skills further.
What do you think about a phd in statistical physics, as a physics phd you know that is very different the stats of this phd and the stats of a pure stats phd..
So if I just really personally enjoy doing math, learning math, etc. and want to pursue a PhD for the reason that I want to LEARN math, but also am considering trying to go down the quant route, should I still pursue a PhD? It’s not necessarily that I’m considering a PhD just to break into quant, but more so seeing quant as an added benefit from getting a PhD. Is this the wrong way to think about it? For more context, I’m mostly interested in the researcher route, and I am overall very passionate about math. On top of that I’m an undergrad double majoring at my university in finance and mathematics. My university is nothing special but it is top 50.
It's a good question, I think it will be important but never for something as simple as, let's say, price/return prediction. I think it will only be useful in contexts where there is already a very solid quantitative foundation to the problem.
@@AlgebraicContinuation Thank you so much for your reply! I have been grinding your videos and I found them extremely useful so please never stop making them. Also looking at all your past live streams, hope to catch you live once!
I’ve been under the impression that Machine learning has been used for 20+ years in the finance space, it is pretty much the ideal tool for it. Anything from linear regression to sentiment analysis can be considered ML and is absolutely used.
Hello,and thank you for the video(it's great)! I have a question: I'm studying at Software Engineering program,but aiming to take a masters degree and a PhD in ML.(Not because I want to become a quant, I just enjoy ML and DL) Is there a possibility for me to break into quant research?(After improving my math skills of course, and I'm pretty sure that I still have to do it anyway,because math is important for DL) I mean, that my PhD would be not math-related,can it be an obstacle for getting a QR position?
Thanks, I'm glad the video was helpful. This is really the right approach, do the PhD because it interests you. An ML PhD is an excellent one for transferring into many industries. Of course you will need to maybe work on some projects or something to demonstrate you understand the space, but I'd say ML/Stats are one of the top degrees for breaking into quant research. 90% of the math in quant research is really not that complicated anyway. Feel free to drop me a DM in the discord if you want discord.gg/RAX97Feb if needed.
@@AlgebraicContinuation actually im a fresh to this industry i dont think im in a level that suggest some content but maybe theoretical tutorials (maybe u already do i didnt examine detailly yet.) with practical ones would be amazing for people like me.
Hi, It is alot more challenging to land a quant researcher role if you didn't attend target school? I am looking to apply to statistics masters but I am not sure if I am competitive enough to get into to reach schools.
Hey, so I’m a freshmen in undergrad and my school isn’t much less than ideal for quant trading. Would you recommend grinding out research (as well as obviously shooting for internships whenever possible) and networking during my years here , and then aiming for a top-tier masters in the quantitative finance space given my situation.
Yup exactly, you'll have a crazy good head start if you're beginning this early. Try to reach out to Math/CS/Science departments and see if any will let you get involved in undergrad research. Keep an eye out for other things like competitions (university, Kaggle, etc.) also, as they can help your chances with the internships.
Looked up computational finance research papers with HFC and found a lot based on ML, specifically LLMs. Is it fine to implement these or something else?
I think my comment got deleted so I am posting again on a different account. Sorry if this is a duplicate. I am currently in my sophomore year of a 5 year BS-MS degree in Data Science. I am very comfortable with coding including Python, C, R etc. I am at the top of my class with a 9.67/10 GPA and perfect grades in Math in a top college in my country. I also have done several solo projects and am currently doing my second project as part of my internship. This current project will be sent for publication where I would be a co-author. Potential issue is, all these projects have been exclusively in AI/ML. Mostly computer vision with a bit of time-series analysis. My degree also isn't fully focused on maths but I do have all the basic maths courses required for Quant. My question is, can I pivot to Quant if I start now? If I go and get an internship under a professor who has years of experience in Quant Fin, can I be confident in getting an MS or PhD from a top university? I am asking this because I don't know if my experience in ML would transfer over into Quant. Thank you for the video btw. I appreciate it very much.
No worries, I didn't see the other one. Absolutely you can pivot, you still have plenty of time and it sounds like you're considering an international MS and the US PhD, which is a common route. It's not so much about having the skills that directly transfer, it's about having the base level knowledge to be able to learn on your own. Transitioning (not just to Quant, but to anything, like Chemistry) will require some work on your end outside of school/projects. Try your best to get undergrad research, it doesn't particularly need to be qfin, but if there's someone there doing that, that's even better. Keep in mind though when people talk about quant internships, they mean at a firm, not undergrad research with a professor. Do the undergrad research during the year, and look for internships in the summer (at a quant trading firm).
I am a postdoc in experimental astroparticle physics living in NYC. Unfortunately, cost of living on academic salary is painful. I am looking into other options, and quant in NYC seems an obvious choice to fix the money issue :D any suggestions/advice how to transition?
It will really depend on your skillset and what role you want to get into. I think your best bet if you dont know anyone to help you get in would be to grind out some projects.
Informative video, thanks. i’m in my final year for my “data science in quant finance” masters program after my actuarial bachelors. my thesis would be on “neural stochastic differential equations and their applications to option pricing”. i have around 5 years experience working full time as a data scientist and currently working as a research engineer for a university (mostly dealing with probabilistic machine learning methods). i’m torn between applying for internships or continuing to work full time. I’d be most interested in the researcher role but would be down for trading as well. Any thoughts or advice? i live Australia so options are relatively limited here, but would be keen to move to NY or london or a bigger financial hub.
Hmm I think one of the tougher things might be getting into firms that have visa support, so more of a logistical issue than a credential issue. Having a masters in data science which is so relevant will definitely be a big plus. I think your best bet would be to get a feel for how the application process goes, doesn't hurt to spend some time applying. If it seems feasible to get a position you'd like, then you could more seriously weigh the pros/cons.
Im 25 and currently working as a software developer (without a degree) and have 3 years of experience. I dont know if i should pursue Quant trader or Quant developer, either way what degree should i do to more easily break into this field? and is it likely for me to get hired if i finish the degree at 28-29? and should i take any aditional courses? and is it possible to get a position as a Quant developer and then transition to a Quant trader position?
It's really not likely that you'd transition from dev to trading, they're not related much in terms of skillset at all. Sounds like you're not totally sure which role you want so you'd need to decide that before making any decisions. You can probably get into dev without a degree, but you'll need to demonstrate good low level knowledge in something like C++. Numerical methods, and devops are basically what you'd be doing. So if you're in a traditional SWE position there will be a lot to learn. If you go for trading, just know you're basically starting from scratch. The coding experience will be nice though.
Not sure about the age, for some people yes probably. It doesn't matter that much the education, go to the best place you can and start trying for internships immediately if that's what you want to do. Stats or math would be best.
Maybe as a trader/dev, but it'd be incredibly tough, you're much better off going to a community college for two years and transitioning to the best school you can to at least get a Bachelor's. The only way I see it working for a trader is if you had some very impressive PnL to show. As a dev, your projects would have to be outstanding.
Just go to Dimitri Bianco's channel if you want to understand what real quantitative researchers do. Sadly he is the only one on youtube that is an actual practitioner that also makes lot of videos about how to receive the proper education, and I mean PROPER, because most stuff you hear recommended is subpar. I was not able to find anyone besides him that actually is practicing it and has a youtube channel.
Please let me(us) know of other authentic practitioners who also created/outlined comprehensive diy curriculums for the quant researcher that has included all the modeling tools to work both on the risk side in banks,insurance companies(which are not focused on trading) and the places that are focused on actual trading.
Almost all channels I found that talk about quants are mostly arm chair experts OR offer some HFT "quant" trading course which is ....the equivalent of expecting a nurse to do the job of a surgeon.
I agree, if you’re interested in sell side (outside of mm), go watch Dimitri Bianco. I have no interest in sell side, though so I can’t recommend you anyone else. Keep in mind also that he would probably even agree, he is pretty biased towards sell side and takes a lot of issue with buy side risk analysis.
In terms of some people I watch, try Yves Hilpisch, and QuantPy because they seem good. As you said though in terms of the content out there, most of it is scammy garbage so I just don’t watch much.
Also to be clear, I don’t claim to be an expert in these topics. I stream my development and learning process, and I make videos on topics that I know about, or that I’ve consulted people in the space about. So as always, everyone should take my opinions on these things with a grain of salt. I pinned your comment because I think it brings up a good point, and I don’t want anyone getting the misconception that I am employed in the space.
UA-cam has recommended several excellent videos. I particularly enjoyed this one. As an international student, I commenced my financial journey last August, focusing on derivatives. While I performed well, my studies were limited to a small college, which lacked comprehensive quantitative finance education. This left me curious about the subject matter. I realized that quantitative finance may involves strategic thinking, coding, and utilizing advanced technology to analyze xxx. However, I faced a decision regarding whether to pursue a finance major. Ultimately, I decided to switch to artificial intelligence and computer science, as I sought a field with a more uncertain future. Despite my lack of knowledge about the field, I appreciate your honest advice.
Thanks for the kind comment, wishing you the best with the career progress.
For Researchers what math knowledge do they look for? Do they look for a deep understanding in Probability/Statisics, linear algebra and courses like that, or do they look for more abstract, less relevant courses like Complex Analysis, Topology etc.
I'm going to make a video about this probably within the next week or so, but pretty much all of the above will be good to know. If you want to be doing actual model development, maybe contour integrals or topological spaces won't particularly relevant, but if you struggle with those things at the level of complexity it will be a huge problem. There's definitely something to be said for the concept of 'mathematical maturity'.
The more math you know, and really know how to apply to new situations, the better off you'll be. The keys will be your calc, DE/PDEs, stochastic calc, probability and statistics, linear algebra, etc. but look at add more if you can.
algebraic topology is a totally different game. all the quant maths you mentioned are applied level and no where close to abstract / pure maths. it is like claiming you dk functional analysis you would have big problem to get into quant. 99% quant out there struggle over a 1900 rated number theory problem in cf
Nobody said if you don't know functional analysis you can't be a quant or anything even remotely close to that. These are all standard courses any undergrad can take if they desire and have the prereqs. Topology and algebraic topology are two entirely different things, one is basic and can be taken as an undergrad, the other is not basic.
looking forward cuzzo
Today's video is something i need the most this year thanks once again.
Glad it could help!
Your content is really unique. Thank you so much!
Thanks, I appreciate it!
Impressive quality content 🔥, We need more videos like indepth roadmap, resume building, best applying processes and resources as well
In depth roadmap coming (:
@AlgebraicContinuation thankssss
Hello, great video!
What path would you recommend for an Econ major trying to get into quant finance?
Pretty good at maths and coding, currently a web developer and I’ve gotten a software engineering internship last year. Thanks
It depends which role you'd like to get into really too much to say specifics. The general advice will be get internships, maybe get involved in undergrad research, and start building out projects that demonstrate your skills ASAP.
your content is gold!! greetings from spain.
Thanks, I appreciate it!
Hey Algebraic Continuation, great video! I was wondering if you new any resources that are good for becoming acquainted with numerical methods, data analysis and things of that nature. I’m decently familiar with python and C++ and I’m starting my own projects and research at school and if you could point me in the right direction it would be a big help. Thanks.
Hey thanks for the comment, hope I adequately addressed on stream yesterday!
I have a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. Should I pursue a master’s or even a PhD if I want to break into quant, specifically in quant research? Also, what field should the master’s be in-computational finance, statistics, or machine learning?
I would never do a PhD just to break into quant, that will be a long and potentially miserable 5-7 years if you don't enjoy research. If you really want to get into research though, that or an MS will be your best bets, I'd think.
Weigh the pros and cons of the large cost of an MS against the massive financial opportunity cost of a PhD.
Advice on what i should do if i want to be a quant dev eith good grades but no c++ or python knowledge. in europe. On an internship for 8 months now doing c# and .net core etc so its not really related. Would a masters be necisary in my case?
Grades won't be that important imo, you just need to learn C++ very well and some Python won't hurt. I wouldn't do a Masters, I don't see it being that beneficial unless you're just using it as time to develop skills further.
That's very fair, appreciate the help!@@AlgebraicContinuation
Make a video on resume - what things impress the recruiters and how to get shortlisted.
Good idea, I'll have to reach out to some people to get some additional insight on this topic but I'll definitely make a video on that.
What do you think about a phd in statistical physics, as a physics phd you know that is very different the stats of this phd and the stats of a pure stats phd..
In terms of stats vs statistical physics vs physics they would be ordered
Statistics > Statistical Physics > Other Physics
your discord link doesnt work, can you post a new one
I gotcha discord.gg/prHPQS62
So if I just really personally enjoy doing math, learning math, etc. and want to pursue a PhD for the reason that I want to LEARN math, but also am considering trying to go down the quant route, should I still pursue a PhD? It’s not necessarily that I’m considering a PhD just to break into quant, but more so seeing quant as an added benefit from getting a PhD. Is this the wrong way to think about it? For more context, I’m mostly interested in the researcher route, and I am overall very passionate about math. On top of that I’m an undergrad double majoring at my university in finance and mathematics. My university is nothing special but it is top 50.
Do a PhD if you want, definitely. It will never be like 'oh you did a PhD, here's a free quant job' especially by the time you graduate though.
Do you think the role of machine learning will improve much more in quantitative finance? Some RL based methods look promising
It's a good question, I think it will be important but never for something as simple as, let's say, price/return prediction. I think it will only be useful in contexts where there is already a very solid quantitative foundation to the problem.
@@AlgebraicContinuation Thank you so much for your reply! I have been grinding your videos and I found them extremely useful so please never stop making them. Also looking at all your past live streams, hope to catch you live once!
Thanks (: and I appreciate you dropping in the live today
I’ve been under the impression that Machine learning has been used for 20+ years in the finance space, it is pretty much the ideal tool for it. Anything from linear regression to sentiment analysis can be considered ML and is absolutely used.
Hello, thank you for your video, will masters in machine learning cut it for researcher role?
To be honest with you, I don't know. If it's a top school, possibly, if not you should try to have a very strong rest of your resume.
Hello,and thank you for the video(it's great)! I have a question: I'm studying at Software Engineering program,but aiming to take a masters degree and a PhD in ML.(Not because I want to become a quant, I just enjoy ML and DL) Is there a possibility for me to break into quant research?(After improving my math skills of course, and I'm pretty sure that I still have to do it anyway,because math is important for DL) I mean, that my PhD would be not math-related,can it be an obstacle for getting a QR position?
Thanks, I'm glad the video was helpful.
This is really the right approach, do the PhD because it interests you. An ML PhD is an excellent one for transferring into many industries. Of course you will need to maybe work on some projects or something to demonstrate you understand the space, but I'd say ML/Stats are one of the top degrees for breaking into quant research.
90% of the math in quant research is really not that complicated anyway. Feel free to drop me a DM in the discord if you want discord.gg/RAX97Feb if needed.
pls keep it up this qualitive content
Will do, any topics you'd like to see next?
@@AlgebraicContinuation actually im a fresh to this industry i dont think im in a level that suggest some content but maybe theoretical tutorials (maybe u already do i didnt examine detailly yet.) with practical ones would be amazing for people like me.
Hi,
It is alot more challenging to land a quant researcher role if you didn't attend target school?
I am looking to apply to statistics masters but I am not sure if I am competitive enough to get into to reach schools.
Yes it is, speaking from experience.
Hey, so I’m a freshmen in undergrad and my school isn’t much less than ideal for quant trading. Would you recommend grinding out research (as well as obviously shooting for internships whenever possible) and networking during my years here , and then aiming for a top-tier masters in the quantitative finance space given my situation.
Yup exactly, you'll have a crazy good head start if you're beginning this early. Try to reach out to Math/CS/Science departments and see if any will let you get involved in undergrad research. Keep an eye out for other things like competitions (university, Kaggle, etc.) also, as they can help your chances with the internships.
Looked up computational finance research papers with HFC and found a lot based on ML, specifically LLMs. Is it fine to implement these or something else?
For what kind of role? Research or dev?
@@AlgebraicContinuation Dev role
I wouldn't focus too much on ML for dev. Try something from the mathematical finance section.
I think my comment got deleted so I am posting again on a different account. Sorry if this is a duplicate.
I am currently in my sophomore year of a 5 year BS-MS degree in Data Science. I am very comfortable with coding including Python, C, R etc. I am at the top of my class with a 9.67/10 GPA and perfect grades in Math in a top college in my country.
I also have done several solo projects and am currently doing my second project as part of my internship. This current project will be sent for publication where I would be a co-author. Potential issue is, all these projects have been exclusively in AI/ML. Mostly computer vision with a bit of time-series analysis. My degree also isn't fully focused on maths but I do have all the basic maths courses required for Quant.
My question is, can I pivot to Quant if I start now? If I go and get an internship under a professor who has years of experience in Quant Fin, can I be confident in getting an MS or PhD from a top university? I am asking this because I don't know if my experience in ML would transfer over into Quant.
Thank you for the video btw. I appreciate it very much.
No worries, I didn't see the other one. Absolutely you can pivot, you still have plenty of time and it sounds like you're considering an international MS and the US PhD, which is a common route.
It's not so much about having the skills that directly transfer, it's about having the base level knowledge to be able to learn on your own. Transitioning (not just to Quant, but to anything, like Chemistry) will require some work on your end outside of school/projects. Try your best to get undergrad research, it doesn't particularly need to be qfin, but if there's someone there doing that, that's even better.
Keep in mind though when people talk about quant internships, they mean at a firm, not undergrad research with a professor. Do the undergrad research during the year, and look for internships in the summer (at a quant trading firm).
@@AlgebraicContinuationThank you so much. I appreciate your input.
I am a postdoc in experimental astroparticle physics living in NYC. Unfortunately, cost of living on academic salary is painful. I am looking into other options, and quant in NYC seems an obvious choice to fix the money issue :D any suggestions/advice how to transition?
It will really depend on your skillset and what role you want to get into. I think your best bet if you dont know anyone to help you get in would be to grind out some projects.
Informative video, thanks.
i’m in my final year for my “data science in quant finance” masters program after my actuarial bachelors. my thesis would be on “neural stochastic differential equations and their applications to option pricing”.
i have around 5 years experience working full time as a data scientist and currently working as a research engineer for a university (mostly dealing with probabilistic machine learning methods). i’m torn between applying for internships or continuing to work full time. I’d be most interested in the researcher role but would be down for trading as well.
Any thoughts or advice? i live Australia so options are relatively limited here, but would be keen to move to NY or london or a bigger financial hub.
Hmm I think one of the tougher things might be getting into firms that have visa support, so more of a logistical issue than a credential issue. Having a masters in data science which is so relevant will definitely be a big plus.
I think your best bet would be to get a feel for how the application process goes, doesn't hurt to spend some time applying. If it seems feasible to get a position you'd like, then you could more seriously weigh the pros/cons.
Hey,
Are u quant dev/trader/researchers urself at any hft firm ?
Nope I'm not
Im 25 and currently working as a software developer (without a degree) and have 3 years of experience.
I dont know if i should pursue Quant trader or Quant developer, either way what degree should i do to more easily break into this field? and is it likely for me to get hired if i finish the degree at 28-29? and should i take any aditional courses? and is it possible to get a position as a Quant developer and then transition to a Quant trader position?
It's really not likely that you'd transition from dev to trading, they're not related much in terms of skillset at all. Sounds like you're not totally sure which role you want so you'd need to decide that before making any decisions.
You can probably get into dev without a degree, but you'll need to demonstrate good low level knowledge in something like C++. Numerical methods, and devops are basically what you'd be doing. So if you're in a traditional SWE position there will be a lot to learn.
If you go for trading, just know you're basically starting from scratch. The coding experience will be nice though.
Thank you for the reply!
So if I decided to pursue Quant trader what would be the best educational path and would my age be a problem?
Not sure about the age, for some people yes probably. It doesn't matter that much the education, go to the best place you can and start trying for internships immediately if that's what you want to do.
Stats or math would be best.
How someone in undergrad is supposed to publish, when he/she doesn't even know what have been done or not ?
Figure out what has been done, get in a research group and do research. I have published with several undergrads.
@@AlgebraicContinuation i see
Yes it's very doable, just start getting involved ASAP
@@AlgebraicContinuation thank you
Would you recommend econ as a major to break into quant?
I think you'd be much better off with a more technical degree like math, stats, or computer science.
Just do anything in STEM
Can I get a job in quant dev coming out of high school?
(as someone with with lots of projects, with paid compsci internships in high school)
Maybe as a trader/dev, but it'd be incredibly tough, you're much better off going to a community college for two years and transitioning to the best school you can to at least get a Bachelor's.
The only way I see it working for a trader is if you had some very impressive PnL to show. As a dev, your projects would have to be outstanding.
C++ great speed edge
C++ 🐐