Quant careers, explained with evidence.
Understand the work, check salary disclosures and choose a useful first learning task.
Start with the question you need answered
For comparisons across occupations, start with the quantitative finance salary guide. For bank modeling, validation or a front-office analyst role, use the analyst salary guide. The researcher salary guide separates graduate and experienced research routes. Each keeps base, first-year payments and recurring pay distinct.
If “quant” is a new word to you, start with the definition guide. It compares five types of work by the decisions they support and the outputs they produce. A small, invented price path lets you check the cash accounting, costs and drawdown yourself before choosing a learning route.
If you are comparing a Citadel role or offer, start with the salary guide. It keeps Citadel and Citadel Securities separate, links each salary to an official posting and shows where the sources leave a question unanswered. Its offer examples distinguish recurring base, one-time payments and variable compensation.
These guides include sources, explicit assumptions and practical next steps. The numerical teaching example is synthetic; the advertised salary ranges describe specific jobs. Neither is a prediction of investment performance or a promise of employment.
Continue with a concrete piece of work
QuantSteps provides four free starter lessons and a free returns and risk lab. Use them to calculate a result, challenge an assumption and explain what the evidence establishes. The starting diagnostic helps identify a next learning task.
The quantitative research path includes available lessons and projects, with some stages requiring Pro. The specialist trader and developer routes are currently blueprints; their availability differs from the research curriculum. Use the official employer sources to compare role requirements and recheck application status.