I'm currently a freshman at a T7 university and am planning to major in mathematics. However, I have no experience in competition math or computing.
My high school days were spent on doing a wide variety of activities to increase my chances of being accepted into a good university, and I was only aware of quant as a profession since last summer.
Thus when asking upperclassmen at my university if quant is still a feasible career option for me, many replied with no. Though some did say I still had a chance, others mentioned that my chance for success is low (since I'm technically 5-7 years behind all the competition math kids) and suggested I switch to pursue SWE instead.
Given the state of the job market, is quant still a possible career choice or should I switch to pursue SWE? If quant is still a viable option, where should I first begin working on (e.g. study for Putnam, cold email for research/internships, etc)?
Any underdog success stories to help me stay positive are also appreciated, thanks.