Pros: All the usual tech company perks (breakfast, lunch, snacks, coffee). Reasonable hours for finance in general. Good compensation, with a transparent performance-based bonus system.

Cons: Hours could still be better. 8-5:30 PM is pretty much the minimum expected for software devs, and it only gets worse. Compared to some other tech firms my peers are working for, that's pretty bad. Compared to other fintech firms my peers are working for, that's pretty good/on par.

Pros: The people are the best part of Optiver, and they are why it is successful. As an intern, I was able to work with and learn from firm leadership, development leads, and developers at a wide range of experience levels. The human investment poured into my experience was great. Chats about technology at the firm in general and my work in particular were regular and helpful. Because of these engagements, I felt that I was both able to add real value during my internship, learn more about development, and learn more about the industry. The principles with which Optiver trades and develops are heavily stressed. These principles allow them to both work with intention and manage risk effectively. A developer intern has the opportunity to learn more about these principles and see them in practice at Optiver. Finally, developing production systems requires a different mindset and a different set of skills than academics. The internship can help you on your path to becoming a real-world software engineer.

Cons: Resources to get general trading knowledge didn't seem very well presented to me during the onboarding process. I felt that I learned these things gradually and on my own throughout the internship. Although, this isn't completely a bad thing.

Pros: Pay, money, salary, income, TC

Cons: Time, life, sanity, interest, depression