I heard a lot of sell side quants want to move to buy side after a couple of years. What is their motivation? PPl prefer working in a smaller HF/Trading firms to a BB?

Better hours

2 and 20.

QuoteOriginally posted by: ArthurDent2 and 20.What does this mean? Hedge fund?

QuoteOriginally posted by: finalguyQuoteOriginally posted by: ArthurDent2 and 20.What does this mean? Hedge fund?"A hedge fund manager will typically receive both a management fee and a performance fee (also known as an incentive fee) from the fund. A typical manager may charge fees of "2 and 20", which refers to a management fee of 2% of the fund's net asset value each year and a performance fee of 20% of the fund's profit." - Wikipedia(a quick google can go a long way...)

QuoteOriginally posted by: ArthurDent2 and 20. but 20*zero = zero. sell side involves long hours and travel and there is lots of pressure to stay competitive with other sellsiders. But buy side is not rosy either. If your fund doesn't do well, you get the axe. Then you have to explain in your future interviews why you got the axe. It ain't pretty.

QuoteOriginally posted by: KackToodlesQuoteOriginally posted by: ArthurDent2 and 20. but 20*zero = zero. sell side involves long hours and travel and there is lots of pressure to stay competitive with other sellsiders. But buy side is not rosy either. If your fund doesn't do well, you get the axe. Then you have to explain in your future interviews why you got the axe. It ain't pretty. It sounds like buy side has high risk high return, buy side is the opposite.

QuoteOriginally posted by: finalguyQuoteOriginally posted by: KackToodlesQuoteOriginally posted by: ArthurDent2 and 20. but 20*zero = zero. sell side involves long hours and travel and there is lots of pressure to stay competitive with other sellsiders. But buy side is not rosy either. If your fund doesn't do well, you get the axe. Then you have to explain in your future interviews why you got the axe. It ain't pretty. It sounds like buy side has high risk high return, buy side is the opposite.Buy side is all about entrepreneurship. If I setup 10 mil startup hedge fund my potential upside is huge; if I hire you as a java monkey in this fund you upside is as limited as inside a huge bank and your stability is much worse.

QuoteOriginally posted by: tu160if I hire you as a java monkey in this fund you upside is as limited as inside a huge bank and your stability is much worse. stability inside a huge bank aint that good either. but you're right, a buy side java monkey is a java monkey whether he is buy or sell side. Java monkey is better off to work for google and get his 30,000 stock options per year.

QuoteOriginally posted by: KackToodlesQuoteOriginally posted by: tu160if I hire you as a java monkey in this fund you upside is as limited as inside a huge bank and your stability is much worse. stability inside a huge bank aint that good either. but you're right, a buy side java monkey is a java monkey whether he is buy or sell side. Java monkey is better off to work for google and get his 30,000 stock options per year. How about C++ monkeys?

QuoteOriginally posted by: finalguyHow about C++ monkeys? Learn the appropriate language and write apps for the iPhone. I heard the most popular app game sold 5 million copies @ $0.99 a pop. You do the math.