I would also say that if you are going to get into the business, you are better off getting in right out of college. It may take you sometime to become profitable to the point where you can make a consistent living. Do it before your responsibilities grow (financial and personal). Youre going to need to be 100% focused to be successful, regardless of your educational background.
I would agree only because the Ivy name gets a lot more opportunities than others. So at the least, it would make sense to at least try the corporate world because it would be worth it. In this economy good jobs are scarce, so if can grab one it's worth the shot. I would have grabbed a good tier firm trading job but those were out of my reach when I was graduating. No Ivy name meant crap jobs for me that ridiculously undermined my potential. If you are just anxious to start trading for yourself, try First New York Securities and Schonfeld. These firms like to play pretend top tier trading desk and hence love Ivys. They have special training programs with paid salary.
I would like to second the opinions given on this thread about ETG. They have been great to me. Now offering more software choices too. Check them out.
That's exactly what I was thinking -- the Ivy name opens more opportunities so why not take advantage of them while you can.