tomatocream
dc6ab90c03
Covers target firms, three study tracks (LeetCode, low-level systems, system design), a 4-phase 12-week timeline, weekly rhythm, and resources. Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
146 lines
4.3 KiB
Org Mode
146 lines
4.3 KiB
Org Mode
#+title: Interview Study Plan — Finance / HFT / Systems
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#+date: 2026-04-22
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* Target Firms
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** HFT / Prop Trading
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- Jane Street
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- Citadel Securities
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- Virtu Financial
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- Jump Trading
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- Optiver
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- IMC
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- Susquehanna (SIG)
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- DRW
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- Flow Traders
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- Hudson River Trading
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** Quant Hedge Funds
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- Two Sigma
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- DE Shaw
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- Renaissance Technologies
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- AQR
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- Millennium Management
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** Crypto Exchanges
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- Coinbase
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- Binance
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- Kraken
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- OKX
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** Banks (Trading Desks / Strats)
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- Goldman Sachs
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- Morgan Stanley
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- JP Morgan
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** Fintech Infrastructure
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- Broadridge
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- ION Group
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- Refinitiv / LSEG
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* Study Tracks
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** Track 1: LeetCode / Algorithms
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- Arrays, hash maps, linked lists, stacks, queues
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- Binary search, two pointers, sliding window
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- Trees, graphs, DFS/BFS
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- Sorting, heaps
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- Dynamic programming (easy → medium)
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- Math and probability puzzles (especially for Jane Street, Optiver)
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** Track 2: Low-Level Systems
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*** OS & Kernel
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- Process vs thread, scheduling, context switching
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- Memory management: virtual memory, paging, TLB
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- System calls, interrupts
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- CPU caching: L1/L2/L3, cache lines, false sharing
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- NUMA architecture
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- CPU pinning / thread affinity
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*** Networking
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- TCP vs UDP — congestion control, reliability, ordering
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- KCP — low-latency UDP protocol
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- Kernel bypass: DPDK, RDMA
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- UDP multicast (common in market data feeds)
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- FIX protocol basics
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*** C++ Internals
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- Memory model: stack vs heap, RAII
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- Move semantics, copy elision, RVO
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- Templates and template metaprogramming
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- Undefined behavior and compiler optimizations
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- SIMD intrinsics (basics)
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- Custom memory allocators
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- Lock-free data structures: CAS, atomics, memory ordering
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- Ring buffers, lock-free queues
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** Track 3: System Design
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- General: scalability, load balancing, databases, caching
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- Low-latency architecture patterns
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- Co-location and proximity hosting
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- Order book design and matching engine
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- Market data feed architecture
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- Tick-to-trade pipeline design
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* Phased Timeline
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** Phase 1 — Foundations (Weeks 1–3)
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Goal: Build base knowledge across all three tracks simultaneously.
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- [ ] LeetCode: arrays, hash maps, linked lists, stacks, queues (easy problems)
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- [ ] Systems: OS fundamentals — processes, threads, memory management
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- [ ] C++: review move semantics, RAII, memory model
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- [ ] System design: read about scalability basics
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** Phase 2 — Core Patterns (Weeks 4–7)
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Goal: Pattern recognition in LeetCode; go deeper on low-level topics.
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- [ ] LeetCode: binary search, two pointers, sliding window, trees, DFS/BFS (easy–medium)
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- [ ] Systems: CPU caching, cache lines, false sharing, NUMA
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- [ ] Networking: TCP/UDP deep dive, KCP
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- [ ] C++: atomics, memory ordering, lock-free basics
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- [ ] System design: practice 1 question/week (general scalability)
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** Phase 3 — Advanced (Weeks 8–11)
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Goal: Finance-specific systems knowledge; harder algorithm problems.
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- [ ] LeetCode: heaps, graphs, DP, math/probability puzzles (medium–hard)
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- [ ] Systems: kernel bypass (DPDK, RDMA), UDP multicast, CPU pinning
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- [ ] C++: lock-free queues, ring buffers, custom allocators, SIMD
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- [ ] System design: order book design, matching engine, market data feed
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- [ ] Read about FIX protocol and tick-to-trade pipeline
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** Phase 4 — Mock & Polish (Weeks 12+)
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Goal: Interview simulation; fill gaps; stay sharp.
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- [ ] Timed LeetCode sessions (medium difficulty, 45 min each)
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- [ ] Mock system design interviews (1–2/week)
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- [ ] Review flashcards daily (Anki)
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- [ ] Company-specific prep: research each target firm's tech stack
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- [ ] Behavioral stories in STAR format
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* Resources
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** LeetCode Lists
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- Blind 75
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- NeetCode 150
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- Optiver / Jane Street past problem types (probability, brainteasers)
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** Books
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- "Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective" (CS:APP) — OS/memory
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- "C++ Concurrency in Action" — lock-free, atomics
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- "Designing Data-Intensive Applications" — system design
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- "Trading and Exchanges" — market microstructure
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** Online
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- NeetCode.io — structured LeetCode patterns
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- Martin Kleppmann's DDIA
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- "What Every Programmer Should Know About Memory" (Ulrich Drepper)
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* Weekly Rhythm
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| Day | Focus |
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|-----+-------|
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| Mon | LeetCode (2–3 problems) |
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| Tue | Low-level systems study |
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| Wed | LeetCode (2–3 problems) |
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| Thu | System design practice |
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| Fri | C++ deep dive |
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| Sat | Mock interview or review |
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| Sun | Anki review + weekly reflection |
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