[JohnnyHumongous]

Some context for anyone who didn't read my thread from way back when about whether I should be a pro poker player or take a job at a management consulting firm. I started the consulting gig about a month and a half ago. Basically while I'm working here I am "eating it" in terms of income, as total compensation for the year will be 75K plus bennies, compared to several hundred thousand if I played cards full-time. But I tell myself, it is a good decision because after 2 or 3 years here I will have developed a great deal of terrific business experience and a diverse skillset. Future opportunities in other fields of business, getting an MBA at a top 5 school, or entrepreneurship would all be wide-open doors. So, the tradeoff will be worth it.

Well I just found out that my firm wants me to work at their sister firm for one full year, where I would be involved in trading and arbitrage activities. Basically I would do a lot of coding, database work and assist in placing the firm's positions in the market (they only operate in one specific market). The pay would stay the same.

This is definitely not the job I signed on to do, but it's been made clear that I don't have a choice in the matter. I turned down other consulting firms to work at this one, and I can't help but feel like I'm getting screwed over. What I want to know is, how bad is this tradeoff for a guy like me who isn't in it at this job for the salary, but instead the business education and career development? I can't help but feel that trading is much worse in both these areas. is this year in trading going to look worse on my resume than if it were to have been a year of strategy consulting? How much worse? Any input on the perceived pros and cons of this year in trading would be most appreciated. If push comes to shove I won't hesitate to walk from the job, but this isn't really in the realm of consideration (at least not quite yet).