Yeah, no matter how you explain it, most of 'em end up saying that their dad or brother-in-law is a stock broker, too..... ....geez.... Just can't bring myself to tell 'em that I sit scanning computer monitors all day, sippin' tea and gulpin' water, munchin' apples, poppin' blueberries, chewin' turkey jerky, gyrating to dance music to keep my buns happy, and tryin' to adjust that damn newfangled all-in-wonder "Texas" catheter so my shoes don't fill up.... ....again...! No.......I just tell 'em that I got out of the people end of the biz as the bubble was bustin', and now have absolutely NO !#@*&! AGENDA !! So, get outta my face!! Works great 'til I logon to ET....
The people I know strongly associate me with my former occupation, for which I am pretty well known in the industry. That, and because I'm sort of hush hush about my trading, along with the odd sociological behavior that the people who know you the longest tend to not see you in one's new capacity, has kept me from going through the Q&A I've read on this thread. But for new acquaintances, I don't care to tell them what I used to do, but what I do now. And of course they think I'm a broker, they ask for stock tips, and I'm not going to chew their ear and cause their eyes to glaze and smiles to freeze with what will come off like a lecture if I start explaining the difference between that and what I do. Besides, they're not really interested in my line of work is, they only ask because it's a social identification process they've been trained to engaged in. So I find the old Dale Carnegie thing about changing the topic to have them tell me what they do, and what their interests are, satisfies them ever so much more to speak about as a topic, builds rapport, and edifies me, because I already know what I do, and now I get to find out how these folks may fit into my world and what I can glean from them.
That's literally true. Esp. for those who TRADE WITH A GAMEPAD. Trading using a Gamepad and IB's TWS http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18655
Thanks guys...now I've found some neat answers to that question I always got pressed on in golf course on weekday afternoon I am in California.
Life is good....we shake money off the bakyard tree in the morning, do nothing in the afternoon (my case, golf) while still fullfill my good citizen duties of paying tax at year end. Isn't life sweet??!!
Bingo.. You shouldnt have to tip-toe your way around the conversation to avoid eye rolling.. If you are that embarrassed about what you do you should find a new line of work... If you really want to stretch it couldalways give 'em the : I work for a firm based in NYC or wherever ( prop firm) and I invest my own and their $$ (when leveraged of course! , and you so expereinced and trusted you are allowed to work out of the home...
You would get a better response if you told them you went gay than if you told them you were a daytrader. Why not something like... I work with computers or some crapola like that? Computers are such conversation stoppers that no one will dare follow up. Anyway from what I've heard, people who are really hitting it big don't like discussing with relative strangers what they actually do. You never really know what kind of problem you might be inviting into your life.