An addendum to the above: One word of caution: One of the things you're likely to experience in your life is that of unrequited love. That is to say that if deep down inside you REALLY have a burning desire to be a trader it's likely then that you will ending up doing something, anything, subconsciously to sabotage the safe steady job you have exchanged for your true love. The mistress (trading) that you really desire will find a way to make you aware of her. Trust me. Dr. Z
Take a job at Intel - in the finance dept. - and trade Intel, Intel customers, Intel suppliers, Intel competitors from your handheld device. Once you've built your grubstake set out on your own. Or, if you do well enough, you just retire straight away and sail around the world.
Hmmm, Work for Intel. Are you any good there? If you are for sure keep your job there so it can be your "first job" on the resume. 2-3 years is respectable but hardly a veteran. First jobs are rarely the longest. I did 1 year, 4 years and 9 years. As for your dreams, yeah, check out the finance dept. Poke your head in there. They will have a sophisticated setup like a mutual fund. A lot of currency in those books Gee an engineer who also knows how to handle money. Hmmm would that be useful in a startup or mid sized company? I wish I could have worked at MSFT finance dept..... From the early days on... Trade with your extra time not spent with community( friends, family). You can spend a lot of time programming your child day trading system. If you are savvy enough to work through all the trading platform issues, you could have something world class. If you are good as an intel intern (4 of 5 stars) you will , by default, put in a 4 star effort daytrading. If you are average (read there is ANY question about if you will be asked back for FT) then adjust your risk accordingly. (keep both jobs). Some of your best work should come early when you got the juice to work Intel day and kick butt, and trade the open every day and code automation at night. Good Luck, PS: Consider moving VERY close to your work as an optimization to your first stint.
i am in much the same situation you are in. i have one more year of college at georgia tech. i am interning at merrill lynch, but my passion is trading. all my spare time is filled with reading, watching, studying, and breaking apart the markets. i love it, and like someone else said earlier, if you are devoted to something, and have a passion for it, you will find a way to succeed. i struggle with that issue of getting a secure job for a couple of years at first, but my heart tells me i want to trade, and make it trading. well see... pm me if you want to talk...
Maharaja, My brother works as a tech at an Intel fab. I routinely hear stories about engineers and their compensation packages. Given their stock options, salary, and bonuses, I'd definately say stick with your plan. Day trading is a "crap shoot" for the beginners; even if you strike it big at first, it'll most likely be due to luck not talent. I'm not trying to discourage you from day trading, but I am trying to tell you that it takes more than a few books and a few months of experience to be good enough to survive in today's tough trading conditions. Stick with the steady 6-figure income and put in the seven years with the company to get your massive benefits (at least this is the strategy I've been told). Then you may want to rethink your situation. Good luck.
If you feel trading is your dream, then go for it. Don't listen to any negative comments. Most important realize that it will not be easy but it is very possible to make huge amounts of money from the markets in time. Some good advice. If you have enough money to start trading, feel free to start. In the beginning the most important thing is to start with small shares. It is much easier to make money with smaller size cuz it is much easier to get in and out of. After trading small and making profits for a long time gradually bring up size. Discipline is the #1 key to success. Let winners ride and sell losers quick. If i was you i would work at the same time as i trade. If you could work for intel at night at the same time that would be awesome. As i said it is very possible you could end up a great trader. But you never know for sure. Keep all other options open but if you feel trading is your dream, go for it!!! I started trading 2 and a half years ago and have never looked back. Good luck. Pm me if you need any info.
Thanks for all the help. I am thinking of doing the following... My internship will be ending at the end of this semester and I will have no school or work in the summer. I am thinking I may try out prop trading for those three summer months that I have before I start working full time(either at Intel or wherever). Worst case senario, I will probably incur a loss (-50% max?). Most probably I will break even, and hopefully I can pull out with some gains. Viewing how well I do, especially in the last of the three months I can make my final decision. I've been doing some more research today and found three firms in Arizona. Maybe I can trade from thier offices and gather knowledge/support from experience traders around me. Does anyone have any experience with Andover, Bright Trading, or ECHOtrade (all in AZ)? Which is the best of the three? From ET broker ratings ECHOtrade seems to be the best. What about GreatEastern or GreenTree Trading (not in AZ)? Which is the best?
Oh yeah, BTW, my AOL screen name is SlickSamosa. Feel free to IM me. I'm open to talking about trading strategies and gaining more knowledge and maybe even imparting some of my wisdom....