What is the salary range for software development position at Hedge funds as compared to Investment banks? Also, which of them is a better learning experience for somebody who has NO experience in the financial industry? Thanks so much.

I suspect the Hedge fund will educate you more.If you're a good techie, a large bank will find things for you to do that have absolutely nothing to do with finance. Hedge funds tend to be smaller outfits and newer, so there's less segmentation between IT and trading. Being smaller you would actually find it hard to avoid doing some finance stuff. The reverse also applies, since they're small you will get asked to knock up a contacts database for the sales people, or to configure a server.

Thanks so much for your reply :-)another question, how are hedge funds in terms of work environment? Are they usually cut throat, aggresive, backstabbing kind OR competitive, helpful, challenging places to work at? Do they usually support growth and further education (MBA)?Thanks:-)

I've only come across a couple, so my sample may be biased.They seem more pleasant to work in than most trading environments. They think of themselves as clever, meaning that they value their employees a bit more than banks who think the value is added more by the firm than the individual. They seem more friendly, and considerably less aggressive than many trading environments. There is a bit of an air of "not only am I senior to you, but smarter". At some banks more senior people actually effect to sound stupid in order to project an air of authority and status.They are weak on process. This is good because this is less bureaucracy, but it does mean that important things don't actually happen. It also means that "It didn't work even though I did the right things" works better as a reason at a bank than a HF.Smaller outfits in my experience are worse at supporting growth than larger ones. In a big firm, there is some chance of there being cover for when you're studying, but this applies less to smaller outfits. Growth is also an issue in smaller firms due to the fact that there may be only one logical step up, so you're waiting for someone to die.However, specific commitments with dates, in writing, are better in a small firm than a large one. When you come to take your option to study or whatever, a small firm has the merit that you are talking to the guy who made the promise. People are more reluctant to break their own word than say "policy on training has changed, sorry."

That was helpful... thanks :-)What should I look for when joining a hedge fund? Because as u know... there isnt much one can find on a particular one online.... what are the so-called *good* signs and *bad* signs?Thanks!