Lots of options:

One-hops (1-2 year stint then transition out)

1. Programming gig at finance facing software shop 2. Programming gig at exchange

No-hops

1. Work on popular open source framework in heavy use (ZeroMQ, QuickFix, pandas, sympy, sklearn, etc) 2. Find headhunter/recruiting agency 3. Attend local finance oriented meetups and schmooze

I wouldn't trivialize the hiring process -- all of these roles are pretty competitive.