How have tech people broken into finance?
Brief version of what's basically my resume:
Undergraduate: Top Canadian school, accounting
Graduate: Georgia Tech's OMSCS
CFA Level 3 passedInternship(s): Manager research (4mths x2)
New grad: Analyst on a nonbank mortgage desk (1.5YOE) but did not get to execute trades, mostly data analysis to support traders.
Current: Data analyst at fintech (~1.5YOE) other teams are known to do heavy ML but my direct experience is just basic SQL/Python manipulation.
I want to move away from the retail finance / tech type of job and more towards structuring or even trading (if on the sellside) and systematic strategies or just fixed income/derivatives analysis (if on the buyside). I was hoping the combination of a CS degree, albeit online, plus having passed all levels of the CFA would give me a boost but I'm not getting a single look. I know neither of those two are THAT spectacular but I can't even get an analyst interview at a smaller shop.
Is the classic response of "network more" my only way in? Or the second classic response: portfolio projects? I'm sure a FAANG tech person could sell their quantitative skills but what about people who are in mid tier tech shops?