One other thing on the corporate BS. This is one of the major things I like versus the markets and the corp game. It's funny but all the jobs I've had, have had the instantly recognizable stereotypical types. I won't go into them, as I'm sure other corp slaves known of them well. With the markets while there are many different aspects/edges/etc, I am placing a bet it, will be right or wrong. I can hopefully learn from this and maybe not make the mistake again. In the corp world I may have some incredibly insightful advice on how to improve a system, but it's usually ignored stolen, etc. You are fighting against people who actually like this corp system, that is the worst. I hate the system, and they love it. They are willing to use questionable tactics to achieve a higher rank. They don't mind the politics or the BS. In IT at least, the people who kept rising up were the ones who kissed the most ass to management, but who generally had the less skills. I just couldn't stand it. It was so difficult for my positive work to be seen, my ideas were ignored, or when implemented, were given credit to others. I don't want to fight people like this. I don't want to deal with the lowest of low emotions. There may be alot of dick swingers in the market, but you dont have to listen to them or have them lose you time or money or a promotion. I see this corp rate in the modern world as a look out for #1. If it was as clear as performing well, having your job recognized, and NOT having to deal with so many down clowns, it would be great. Yes I am an owner of Office Space Trust me in IT it can be even worse since the managers generally have no clue about technology, so you are fighting even more of a losing battle there. So I put my trade in, win or loss. That's it though. All of this coming from someone who has never done this fully for a living, but damn that corp life scares me.
One more reply. Sorry to waste the thread space. Your edge sentiments are very spot on. I 've ran across a few vending machine owners, and my other friends who sign mortgage papers have too.. They all say the same thing. They lost their "edge" and are playing against huge players who have made things very difficult. Many of them said they left the business too. I know based on this post and my own nature I would never enter trading for a living via trying to achieve a monthly check. For me it will be trying to take out all the psychology associated with generating for a consistant income to pay bills. I would rather try to find good trends in either direction trade them and see where things lie at the end of the year. I know if i had to wake up every day knowing I needed to make enought o pay the months bills, I would be in a bad psychological emotional and trading state. If theres who do that, I have respect for you. That's like going into the war without a vest and maybe a clip of ammo
Dont' feel too down, stocks go through up and down times. Just hang in there, and remember every seed of disappointment, you can always learn from your mistakes. God Bless.
There is no greater risk in swiftly accumulating money in order to amass very large capital. This when done puts you beyond the need to be jacking around trying to make a 'living from trading'. The discipline involved is not to spend from your accumulating money (accurate trading being assumed). Inadequate game play, whatever the cause, is the greater risk, particularly if so-called 'trading for a living'.
I agree with you. Unless you are supersmart, or you have a million dollar starting capital, I think trading for a living (consistant income to pay monthly bills) isn't easy. Now, if you inherit a home from your parents, and only have to pay a small amount every month, I guess you can make a living doing a lot of things, not just trading.
Hey Dollar Hegemony, You seem to have a strong opinion on corporate life and how it works, and what you feel is understandable. Escaping corporate life is usually one of the reasons why most people enter trading. They have visions of creating their own path. Sure, there are many levels of negatives from a corporate career, but unfortunatey, there are also many negatives in trading as well, and those negatives in trading could possibly dwarf any kind of corporate worries that you ever had. In a corporate atmosphere, you may have the worse kind of relationship with your superiors; you may not interact well at all with your peers; you may just be bored to death. Heck, you probably just hate your job with an intense passion, and that obviously sucks, but guess what? At the end of Friday or every two weeks, you're still getting paid. And even if you get laid off, you should still be somewhat marketable in the same field because you held a real job and you have relevant skills. And usually, if you have put enough work in your field, you should at least still have a reasonable path to advance. And even if you never reach your highest goals, you should still eventually find a somewhat stable point, which is something not really offered in trading. In trading, it's a different animal because there are no guaranteed paths of progression. Every day is a new day. Every month is a new month. And every year is a new year. Think you found some cool money-making strategies and figured the market out? Ha, that's always an amusing moment until the market sneaks up on ya and humbles your senses. In trading, you might get a paycheck this month, but there's no guarantee you'll get one next month. It doesn't matter how many hours you put in. Most people get caught up with an idea that trading will give them happiness that's not present in their current corporate job. The advantages of trading are obvious: one gets to be one's own boss, there's no upper management to deal with, many personal freedoms exist, and that's lovely. There's also a chance to make a lot of money. It's an ideal life that seems like a vacation from the corporate lifestyle. They also seem to sell this dream to every working man in prop shops, seminars, or trading commercials. But I can tell you that for most people who do it full-time for a living, trading is far from a vacation. Sometimes, it even feels like slavery, sorta like how you might feel in your corporate job, except you're still getting a stable income at the end of the week. Sure, trading is fun when you're making money. But what if you're breaking even for months, or worse, experiencing drawdowns and bleeding down? It's probably not going to be so fun anymore, right. And the pressure is nothing like just not getting along with your boss. Those problems should actually seem quite insignificant to you when you're dealing with bigger headaches like trying to figure out how to live without cashflow. The grass is always greener on the other side, but is it? Of course, when we all enter this field, we don't really think about the possible negatives so much because we tend to be filled with a world of optimism and believe in our abilities. That's certainly the correct and positive attitude to pursure any endeavor, but having confidence should not mean we should overlook the possible inherent risks. I guess if you really want to be a trader, you should not only evaluate the risk and reward of the single trades you're making now, but perhaps focus on something even bigger, which is the risk and reward of a trading career itself.
and if u can't stand corporate life and u suck at trading u can always sell flowers... there is more than one chinese guy who made a good living out of it... http://www.answers.com/topic/li-ka-shing why not u? and if even that doesn't work, u have no choice then... omg, corporate life!!! nooooo.... what a bunch of muppets... u guys are so spoiled, whingeing about the stresses of having to make a living doing this doing that, the stresses of corporate life etc... i cld almost puke honestly
Yeah, give it to them 2 cents If everybody hates corporate lives and quit to go into trading, we wouldn't have the stock market . OMG, everybody would have to trade HOGS for a living. Let's see, BEAR STERNS HOGS INVESTMENT TODAY HAVE JUST DOWNGRADED ABCD HOGS MAFIA to CAUTIOUS FROM ATTRACTIVE
am not taking sides for or against corporate life, just can't believe the amount of whingeing here...