Can I transition from backend engineering at tech companies to quantitative development roles?

Hello! I’m working as a senior backend engineer at a major tech company and thinking about switching to quantitative development or algorithmic trading. I have experience at companies like Microsoft and other big tech firms doing backend and infrastructure work.

Why I want to change:

  • Looking for more mathematical challenges in my daily work
  • Got interested in probability theory and statistical analysis recently
  • Want to solve complex analytical problems instead of just building systems

What I know:

  • Programming: Good with Python, C++, building distributed systems
  • Math: Know linear algebra, calculus, starting to learn about random processes
  • Trading: Just beginning to study how markets work and testing basic trading ideas

My main questions:

  1. Do people actually make this kind of career move successfully?
  2. What’s the best way to get past initial screening when I don’t have finance background?
  3. Should I aim for junior quant developer positions first?

I know that research roles are probably out of reach for now. Any advice would be great!

wait, how did you get into studying probability theory while doing backend work? thats actualy pretty interesting! are you finding any connections between the distributed systems stuff and financial modeling? also curious - what kind of trading ideas are you testing right now?

honestly the jump isnt that uncommon, seen a few ppl do it at my firm. your tech background is actually valuable - quant dev teams need people who understand system architecture and can handle large data processing. dont worry about starting junior, your senior experience translates well to building trading infrastructure.