"How I got multiple crypto trading job offers before graduating"

It's not easy getting a graduate job in the crypto sector, but this could all be about to change. The crypto market making sector is at an "inflection point" when it comes to graduate recruitment, says Christopher Newhouse at Georgia Institute of Technology. Next year, he predicts it will be very different.

Newhouse is well-placed to know. He's a co-founder of a blockchain club with around 300 members at Georgia Tech. The club has helped position the campus as one of the places crypto firms come to when they want junior hires.  He's also founded a quantitative finance trading club with around 400 members. 

"We have a lot of top STEM courses at Georgia Tech, but some students weren't really aware of the opportunities in quant trading and crypto," Newhouse says. "Until recently, there were a lot more people here applying for jobs at places like Facebook, Google and Amazon."

While plenty of firms don't have proper graduate schemes in the crypto world, Newhouse says many are developing programs that are partially launched or will be launched soon. B2C2 runs a graduate scheme already, as does Wintermute. Galaxy Digital has an analyst program. GSR launched a graduate program for its market making business last year. FTX is building a campus for 1,000 employees in Nassau and will presumably have some trainees there when it's done.

Newhouse himself completed an internship at Genesis trading last year. He's had several job offers and advises students interested in crypto trading and other crypto jobs to set up clubs of their own on campus.  "It's been very beneficial for me to say I'm the founder of the blockchain club," he says. "It puts me in a unique position as a candidate, and I've had multiple offers as a result."

Until now, Newhouse says applying for entry-level crypto jobs has often been a question of cold-emailing and networking. "A lot of firms are building, and it's good to reach out and inquire whether there's anything you can help with," he says. 

What really matters when applying for entry-level crypto jobs is showing you are genuinely interested in crypto, says Newhouse. "What makes you stand apart is that you have a crypto Twitter account, that you're trading on DeFi and that you're familiar with the market makers and the competitive landscape. Being able to talk about the industry shows you have that interest."

For students interested in crypto trading careers, Newhouse has assembled a reading list of assets (including a six week DeFi bootcamp) on Google Drive here. 

Click here to create a profile on eFinancialCareers. Let top recruiters flow in your direction. 

Have a confidential story, tip, or comment you’d like to share? Contact: sbutcher@efinancialcareers.com in the first instance. Whatsapp/Signal/Telegram also available (Telegram: @SarahButcher)

Bear with us if you leave a comment at the bottom of this article: all our comments are moderated by human beings. Sometimes these humans might be asleep, or away from their desks, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. Eventually it will – unless it’s offensive or libelous (in which case it won’t.)