Programs

Career Kickstarter: Trading is an immersive five-day program at Optiver’s Amsterdam office, offering final-year students at European Universities a direct pathway to a career in trading. Over the course of one week, you’ll build your understanding of trading through theory, realistic simulations and exposure to Optiver’s trading floor. Through a blend of interactive lectures, trading games, and expert mentorship, you’ll learn how to think and act like a trader.

Understanding the power of diverse perspectives, we’ve created the Career Kickstarter: Women in Tech, designed to empower and transition aspiring female-identifying engineers into an impactful engineering career. In this five-day program, you’ll gain hands-on experience, collaborate with some of the industry’s leading engineers, and develop the critical technical skills necessary to thrive in a high-performance environment. You’ll also get an introduction to the trading concepts that matter from an engineering perspective, so no prior knowledge of trading or financial markets is required.

Career Kickstarter: Tech is a five-day, all-expenses-paid program designed for students eager to explore the engineering challenges of building mission-critical trading systems that keep global markets moving. Hosted at our Amsterdam headquarters, you’ll work through hands-on coding sessions, system design workshops and a collaborative engineering project that mirrors the work of our engineers. You’ll also get an introduction to the trading concepts that matter from an engineering perspective, so no prior knowledge of trading or financial markets is required.

FutureFocus: Quants is an exclusive program designed to give students graduating in 2029 a unique, behind-the-scenes look at the world of quantitative trading and research. Over the course of five days, you’ll take part in technical lectures, skill-building workshops, and networking events that will help you sharpen your skills and take action early in your academic journey.