Also called: Quant, Quantitative Researcher, Quant Trader
Uses math and code to find patterns in financial markets and design trading strategies.
At a trading firm in New York or Chicago, you test ideas on years of market data, write code that trades in microseconds, and watch it perform in real markets. Bonuses can be huge, and so can the pressure.
Base pay plus bonuses; top quants earn far above the 90th percentile shown.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Doctorate (PhD), about 8 years after high school. Master's or PhD in math, physics, statistics, or computer science; very competitive hiring.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Mathematics, Physics, Statistics, Computer Science.
Growing faster than average. BLS does not project this specialty separately; rating estimated from related occupations.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI speeds research and coding, but top firms still pay for people who find new trading edges; hiring is very competitive.
Classes: AP Calculus BC, AP Statistics, AP Computer Science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 13-2099.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.