I am interested in ultra high frequency trading and Java is the language I know

Question

I am interested in ultra high frequency trading and Java is the language I know best.

I was always under the impression I would have to perfect my C++ skills in order to work within the ultra high frequency domain (no pun intended) because a lot of job specs seemed to ask for this.

Elsewhere on the internet i have seen people comment that Java is actually preferred because you can find Java developers much easier. However, I thought this a bad argument because in terms of ultra high frequency, you need to grab an order as soon as possible and designing your system based upon the ease of finding programmers isn't going to achieve what you need in terms of latency.

So, would you say I would be best off concentrating on Java, or is it unavoidable to specialise in C++ in order to get into this career?

Explanation / Answer

There are low-latency systems built in Java (for example the Disruptor), but C++ is still a commonly used language in this space. I'd personally learn both and how to communicate between the two (e.g. JNI or similar).

Looking at existing job ads in this area is probably a good idea as well.

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