Why I’m not interested in finance roles

If you are a recruiter or hiring manager at a hedge fund, trading firm, bank, or other finance company: thank you for thinking of me, but I am not interested in discussing job opportunities. This page is my template explanation for why.

The short version

I want my career to have a high positive impact on the world. I don’t think the finance industry is a good place for that.

The longer version

My reasoning is roughly:

1. Most finance work seems neutral, not positive. The first order effects seem neutral (e.g. short-term trading firms competing on speed, where one firm’s gain is another firm’s loss). The second order effects (price discovery, liquidity) seem small (as in my individual contribution to those effects seems negligible).
2. Low counterfactual impact. I don’t think I’m any better suited for finance job than any other STEM PhD. I see myself as probably replaceable with the next candidate in line. I have a hard time imagining that I would make a difference nobody else could.
3. I’d rather work directly on problems I care about. I would find it hard to stay motivated working on something I do not think improves the world or is a problem I really care about.

What about earning to give?

This doesn’t seem like the best way for me to have impact at the moment.

Exceptional opportunities

Maybe there are niches in finance that have more positive impact! If you think you are in one of those niches, please feel free to contact me.