Post by @remoteree

A lot of new grads ask: “How do I get paid well as a SWE without moving to San Francisco?” Here’s one answer nobody talks about enough: Chicago prop trading firms. CTC, Belvedere, and Akuna are strong entry points because they sit in the sweet spot: High pay Hard technical problems Smaller engineering teams Finance exposure Chicago cost of living Better WLB than the horror stories people associate with trading But don’t confuse “good entry point” with “easy.” These interviews can punish shallow LeetCode grinding. You need to actually understand systems. If I were targeting these roles, I’d study: * C++ or Java fundamentals * networking * operating systems * concurrency * data structures * probability basics * market making basics This is not just a job path. It’s a career accelerator. #chicagotech #swejobs #newgradjobs #quanttrading #techcareers