[d3ld0t]

(PhD, Condensed Matter 2015) I am a quant at a trading firm. I have more daily challenges and unsolvable problems than I have ever faced in physics. Obviously it pays well but 12+ hour days take a toll. Beats working a post-doc for N years, on the other hand...

[anonu]

Trading is a great place for physics PhDs because there is way more upside and the rigor gained during your studies adapts well to studying the markets.

Also depending on what level of magnification you use to observe the markets: they are just random. Maybe there is some consistent process that works today on some subset of the market given a certain forward-looking horizon.

Then, that opportunity disappears at some other time in the future. Its ephemeral and fleeting... and this is probably where the daily challenge comes in.