Networking Call (Part 1)

I came across GP on a trading forum where he shared some free trader tools. I viewed his website to find:

      > GP is an engineer with a deep passion for the financial markets….

Me too!

      > He loves playing with numbers and got hooked onto derivative trading
      > in his final years of grad school.

I got hooked a bit later but otherwise, me too!

      > Over the years he has traded as a Series-7 licensed… trader…

Unlike me, he has actual experience working in the industry.

      > …He also briefly served in a market data and analytics consulting
      > role… advising various clients including hedge funds, commodity
      > trading firms and exchanges…

This sounds great because I have thought about pursuing some sort of consulting role where I work with portfolio managers to design and/or teach trading strategies, etc.

      > GP received… MS in Computer Networking and Telecommunications…
      > and an inter-disciplinary Ph.D in Computer Science and

Unlike me, it sounds like he has extensive programming experience.

      > Telecommunications… where he found a deep interest in probability
      > theory while working on sample path analysis of stochastic processes
      > using linear algebraic queueing theory as the main analytical tool.

Sounds like he has some additional financial engineering (see second-to-last paragraph here) expertise.

      > He has traded extensively in Stocks, Options, Futures, Options on
      > Futures and has even dabbled into Bonds and Commodties – trading
      > them using various technical and fundamental models. Currently he
      > mostly trades index and stock options using delta neutral strategies.

Sounds like he has extensive trading experience!

In a nutshell, then, he sounds like a full-time trader with actual industry experience: something I periodically consider. He seems to have more advanced analytical knowledge to get the job done (I have considered going back to pursue an MSFE or computer science degree). He markets himself as a consultant and has apparently worked as an industry strategy consultant.

GP sounds like a good person with whom to speak. He can probably identify with much of my experience and he may have some ideas how to get around road blocks that I have encountered (i.e. here and fourth-to-last paragraph here).

In combination with my experience, I thought we could have a good networking call. I have an advanced trading background along with at least five years spent probing the industry for potential entry points. Maybe I could help him, too.

I contacted him via e-mail through his website and we scheduled a call for last night at 5:00 PM.

I called promptly at 5 PM only to be greeted by someone who had no idea who I was. It took a good 20 seconds of silence before he said “did you find me through [the online forum]?”

“Yes.” In other words, yes that’s me… who else would it be when you agreed to schedule a call for this exact time?

Hopefully he just had a rough day.

I will continue next time.