SDET Lead (9 YOE, SCB + Morgan Stanley) → Quant Dev — Realistic?

Hi folks, looking for honest input from senior Quant Devs / Researchers.

I’m an SDET Lead at Standard Chartered Bank (~9 YOE) and have previously worked at Morgan Stanley. Strong in Java, distributed systems, Kafka, CI/CD, production debugging, and have worked close to trading systems — but no formal quant/math background and no direct quant role experience.

Considering a transition into Quant Developer / Quant Engineering roles and wanted realistic advice: 1. Is this transition realistic at ~9 YOE, or generally too late? 2. Given my background, Quant Dev vs Quant Research — what’s actually viable? 3. Do firms seriously consider strong engineering profiles without formal quant backgrounds? 4. Are there quant openings in India, or are these mostly abroad? 5. How realistic is it to apply directly to US / Europe for quant roles at my level? 6. From a risk perspective, should I attempt this — or double down on Staff/Principal SDET / engineering roles in trading/fintech?

Not chasing hype — trying to make a practical career decision. Appreciate any blunt advice.