Austin has the whole "supply chain" of startups - from accelerators to large & mid-size technology companies. The network is close-knit but easy to access and people are very friendly here. Combine all of the aforementioned with the cost of living (albeit, it's increasing) and you have a great city to live in.
Highly recommend.
If you end up coming out here, please let me know and I'll buy you a coffee and am happy to introduce you to others/local events.
I did not cross over from Software Engineering, but did transition from Engineering to Finance.
I would suggest understanding what part of Finance is the most interesting to you. Are you interested in Technical Analysis (i.e focusing on characteristics of the market as opposed to characteristics of the company) or do you find Fundamental Analysis more interesting (i.e interested in the core business of a company and their published financials)?
If you are interested in Technical Analysis, I would suggest taking a few courses online to understand trading strategies. If Fundamental Analysis is more appealing, I would focus on taking courses in Accounting.
Once you have a foundation in investment strategies, try producing content on Quantopian.com - build a portfolio and search for positions at firms.
If you have a strong enough interest, a firm will pick you up.
I currently have developed a product that handles the paperwork burden for c-corps, s-corps, llc, non-profts, etc.. imagine a registered agent that has a much better web interface.
I really don't understand all the hate that Linkedin gets on HN.
In my opinion, Linkedin is one of the better social networks - devoid of clutter and politics since each posting is connected to your professional network/appearance.
Hide one side of the market by "intelligently matching users"; users will assume they are in a large marketplace without actually seeing the other side. Additionally, "intelligent matching" can be marketed as a benefit to the user so they don't have to waste time searching on their own.
I frequently have the issue where players want to cash out uneven, non-whole dollars after a long game. if this enabled users to pool funds and then extract an exact dollar amount (if all party members agree), this could be useful
1) Counter-Insurgency: Theory and Practice (superb book)
2) General Patraeus
3) Obama: The Long Game
4) Ben Bernanke: The Courage to Act
As you can see, the books transition from warfare, to politics, to economics; each book is related to the other - this helps me really grasp all the factors at play within subsequent books
Privacy and helps keep track of subscription expenses and helps me maintain/be aware budget and/or subscription increases.
The only downside occurs when you are trying to process a refund for a card that was already closed.