Is it possible for me to guess what technologies are used in each asset class before I join? For example, if I propose to join commodities as you recommend it, is it typical for an investment bank to only use X, Y, Z technologies for this asset class?
My fear is being stuck in back office "IT". However, without actual working knowledge of an investment bank, I can't really say where is best to place me. It may seem trivial to want to avoid C#/.net and the likes, however probably as most hackers on here I'd prefer to work in a team that uses technologies that I'm accustomed to.
Reading "On becoming a Quant" by Mark Joshi (http://www.markjoshi.com/downloads/advice.pdf) has really helped. C++ seems to be an absolutely necessary skill.
I'm graduating CS and going to work at one of the big Investment Banks this summer (want to compare against startup culture).I'm working in Technology and they've asked me if there is any specific 'asset class' I'd like to join, and to indicate my skills so that they can place me on a desk. At this point I think i'm more interested in Quant/mathematical work as opposed to typical Technology...