Optiver’s first opportunity to get involved with P33 was though P33’s Strong Start Initiative. The Strong Start Initiative integrates tech employees from Chicago companies into local university computer science classes to mentor students through real-world tech projects. Students are able to immediately see the relevance and value of the coding skills they are learning by applying them to realistic situations that also teach them about an industry or career they may not know exists..
The first group of Optiver mentors to participate in this initiative created a trading-related project for students at UIC. The students were prompted to create an educational game focused on the basics of trading and stocks, how global events impact the financial markets, and how to consider and manage risk. Partnering with UIC professors, the mentors facilitated the project over the course of three weeks and helped the students to better understand how their STEM backgrounds – even if not tech-related – play an important role in their future careers in tech. It also invited deeper conversations about how to best get started in a tech career, from what skillsets to learn to what types of experience set them up for success.
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