Jodie Lee

On overview of a trading internship at Akuna

The internships at Akuna are very special, especially the trading internship. The trading interns and the new Junior Traders undergo trader training, where we learn everything about options trading and how Akuna operates. My day consisted of:

• Options theory lectures given by the amazing Dan and Evan from the Chicago office.
• Attending the morning meeting with the whole trading team to discuss news and market events.
• Akuna systems training and project work.
• Mock Trading.
• More options theory classes and study.
• Trader shadowing.
• Endless trips to the kitchen for snacks and kombucha.
• Beating the other interns at Mario Kart.

Akuna is committed to helping the interns learn as much as possible. I especially enjoyed mock trading, run by senior traders, and trader shadowing everyday where I had an opportunity to sit with different traders on a range of desks and bombard them with a million questions about the product they were trading. In the second half of the internship, we progressed to live trading where I got to actually trade options in the real market. This was by far my favourite experience in the internship, as it gave me an opportunity to apply the market knowledge and options theory in a real setting and have a sneak peak of the fast-paced trading environment.

The internship was an invaluable experience for me to see what a career in trading looked like, and if it was something I wanted to pursue. The all-rounded program allowed me to learn everything very quickly as there is always something new to discover and investigate.

Nowadays, I work part-time on project work until I finish university and start as a Junior Trader. This involves helping automate processes to improve trade execution and using data to gain insights to improve our trading strategies.

Jodie’s story

I grew up in Adelaide and was a very happy child, taking an interest in everything and anything. I was fortunate to attend Seymour College, where the all-girls environment inspired me to believe that I could do anything I wanted. This supportive environment was crucial when I began to excel in mathematics. I have always loved the problem solving and logical thinking that mathematics provides, winning a prize in my first maths competition at age 9. From there, I competed in various mathematics competitions, excelled in my Year 12 studies and tutored and mentored other students to share this passion. This led me to UNSW where I currently study Advanced Mathematics, majoring in Pure Mathematics. I completed a few internships in algorithms, data analytics and machine learning teams and am involved in a consulting society. Although I loved these experiences, I could not see myself in any of these careers, and felt a bit lost for what my next venture would be. I moved to Sydney to be exposed to the multitude of career opportunities, however there was too much choice and I did not know where to go next.

I reconnected with a friend who is currently a trader at Akuna. He told me I would love trading and insisted I apply for Akuna. After a few months of deliberating (and almost missing the deadline to apply!), I finally got the courage to submit an application and haven’t looked back ever since!

About Akuna

Akuna is an options market making firm and provides liquidity in the market. Simply, if anyone wants to buy or sell a product, we are willing to trade with them.

The trading team are the people in front of the screens, or on the phone to brokers, making trading and risk management decisions. Although the company is rapidly growing, they maintain a start-up vibe with casual office attire and a flat structure which means that, even though I am an intern, I get to sit with and learn from more senior traders. 

Every single person at Akuna is committed to giving you the best experience throughout the internship. I honestly had so much fun learning from, and working with, other employees at Akuna. I also made friends with some amazing interns and juniors. I have never met a group of people who are so ambitious and competitive, yet so supportive of each other.

Why I’m returning to Akuna as a Graduate Trader next year

There are a few reasons why I chose Akuna as my graduate role:

• As a rapidly growing firm, there is always a variety of new challenges and interesting problems to tackle. Juniors have an opportunity to take responsibility and make an impact of the firm.
• The people and culture. During the internship, we had social events planned every week, such as yoga, cocktail making and, of course, drinks every Friday. These helped me build solid friendships with a variety of people of different teams, who are always there to help me out.
• They are always there to help when I have problems with my code, nerd out about cool maths topics, go on coffee breaks or just have a good chat.
• There are also variety of clubs to be involved in at Akuna, including running club, poker club and, my personal favourite, wine club.

Advice for someone considering doing an internship at Akuna

• Talk to people! Akuna representatives will be at careers fairs, giving talks and handing out merchandise on campus at most universities. Don’t be afraid to talk to them and ask questions, they are more than happy to share their experiences and give advice.
• Take the interview seriously and prepare well. I felt apprehensive as I did not know a single thing about finance. However, you need to show you are smart and think quickly with solid mental maths, programming and problem-solving skills. You want to make sure you are the best you can be to ensure you are content with the outcome.  
• Give it your all. The internship itself is quite intense because you learn so much in a short time frame. The work is challenging and the hours can be long. But it’s important give it your all every single day, the internship is not just for Akuna to see if you are a good fit, but for you to see if Akuna is the best place for you to thrive.