QuoteOriginally posted by: CrashedMintif i heard some story were you had to deal with visa issues but you didn't give up but instead worked as a freelance programmer and developer and had to be real client-focused and eventually you got that visa and you go that degree it wouldn't sound too bad to me. you can probably also say that after all these different jobs you realize that now is the time to find a firm for the long haul. So instead of picking the first offer that comes along you made the decision that it's better to wait an extra month than to pick the wrong job.overcoming problems and challenges, wanting to better yourself, not giving up, not making random choices but thinking shit through are qualities firms like. Now, the important thing to notice is that NOBODY likes a complainer who lives in the past. There is not a single good firm in the world that will hire a guy who is pissed at himself for screwing shit up. Now, you kinda screwed. If you sit around at home feeling sorry for yourself you will be WAY MORE SCREWED in half a year. In other words: You cannot change the past but that gap is getting longer.you should get a recruiter right now.amen

QuoteOriginally posted by: CrashedMintovercoming problems and challenges, wanting to better yourself, not giving up, not making random choices but thinking shit through are qualities firms like. Now, the important thing to notice is that NOBODY likes a complainer who lives in the past. There is not a single good firm in the world that will hire a guy who is pissed at himself for screwing shit up.It really depends. Are you one of 20 kids who can all operate a french fry station until those fries are golden brown? Then they are going to pick the kid who gets along, persists, follows instructions, whatever. But if they are hiring a graphic designer, for example, and you are the only person who can put an orange buy button next to a purple cellphone without it looking like Halloween, you want to find someone who needs a good designer.If my best selling point were lack of gaps, I would wonder whether I didn't have some talent, so that I could look for a job that utilized that talent instead.Jesus, they are not hiring a psych counselor, or a youth football coach! Who gives a fuck if the guy wants to better himself. If he smokes crack, but manages to make programs work while he dies - and I need a programmer - I will hire him. If he is the world's greatest salesman, and fucks goats when he gets home, I just want the shit sold.

Hey guys, thanks for the advice.farmer, thanks for the explanation. I studied machine learning, so the example was particularly apt!CrashedMint, that is an awesome advice. Not that I am pissed at myself for screwing up though, but I should make sure this is not the vibe I'm giving out. I just got obsessed with playing with data and time flew by really. Most people I know would use a ready made model, but I like creating models, so took the longer route. On the bright side, this has at least proven to myself that this is something that I can do long term without wondering "what's next".I was just approached by 2 companies actually, so all of a sudden I have options again. One is an algo trading startup, basically they made some profits paper trading and is now refining the system to start actual trading. A perfect fit to what I know (a little bit of), what I'd like to learn (a lot) about, and what I'm good at (it's more maths, less tech). Downside is, no one in the team knows anything about trading, so this is all just theoretical profits, that most likely cannot be realized. I suppose the killer is that they don't have operational capital, so it will most likely be an unpaid position. Not actually talked about the terms with them yet.The other is a machine learning position, but for retail lending. Not a terrible fit, and it does pay quite well. Downside is, I will probably want to move in a few years again.I was also introduced to a discretionary trader. He's been doing it for a while, so have a couple of contacts he could forward my CV to (and most likely at least get me interviews). Downside, i am a terrible indecisive person, which is why data/decision science was so appealing. Discretionary traders have to make decisions all the time, I really don't see myself being good at it. Or is it something you become good at with more experience and training? If I do decide to apply, it would be another few days of studying mental maths and puzzles, when I could be building models and learning tech stuff that actually does something.If it were you, what would you do?

QuoteOriginally posted by: JeriotDiscretionary traders have to make decisions all the time, I really don't see myself being good at it. Or is it something you become good at with more experience and training?The advantage of discretionary trading, is people are able to abstract better than a computer. So they are more flexible, and can recognize new patterns sooner. The advantage of a computer is to be able to store and use a lot of information, and use it in an orderly way that is consistent from day to day.The one thing all discretionary traders seem to have in common, is they can consumer, absorb, and recall, a lot of information. They can also think about things in an orderly way.It may be that having an orderly way to use facts makes it easier to absorb them. Like suppose you gave me a list of 20 people you know, and I said remember this random list of a subset of 13. You might have a hard time remembering the 13 on my list. But suppose you were deciding which to invite to your birthday party, or which ones you would trust to house-sit. You might have an easier time remembering the 13, because you have something to use the information for.Suppose you are looking for the three key things which you know could drive up electricity prices. You will have an easier time scanning and skimming news articles on electricity. Because you know what you are looking for, and you can pick out and remember the key details, without having to read or remember all of it.Abstraction is what makes people avoid walking in the street, even though they have never been hit by a car. They have been hit by moving things. When they get it, it hurts, depending on the speed and size of the object. They can see that cars are big, and moving fast, so they can guess it would hurt a lot. So people have any easier time classifying novel events with sums and combinations of known patterns. Computers more often have to get hit by a car, to know what it feels like to get hit by a car.