HN user
Thanks for writing this up, it's interesting to see how this came to fruition.
I also can't believe all the shit in the TC comments. People really have nothing better to do with their time than rain on someone else parade, I guess.
Sure.
I want to chime in here because I took a job in this industry (high frequency trading in particular) right out of college.
I can't speak for the whole industry as I've only worked at one firm, but my experience has been generally positive:
1. The work environment is similar to the software companies I interned with. Nobody wears a suit, the hierarchy is relatively flat, free food/soda/etc.
2. The problems are really interesting. HFT is a competitive game and good (read: fast and reliable) technology is just as important as smart algorithms.
The only downside? It's difficult to leave. I've had coworkers that have been around a while say that people generally don't leave the industry voluntarily.
Why? Money. I'm not trying to be a braggart but I can say with a high degree of certainty that I will never make as much as a developer at a normal software shop as I do now, with the exception of launching or getting in at the very early stages of a successful startup.
Believe me, I get the whole "money isn't everything", "adding real social value is more rewarding" mindset, I do. The reality is though that it isn't easy to halve your salary based on a philosophical argument, however persuasive, especially when you're still working on cool problems.