I am a pretty recent college grad. Ive been at a major firm for about 1yr working with HNW individuals. I've been looking to make the transition onto the trading desk but it appears to be the worst time as everyday I have friends getting walking papers. I been networking my behind off to get in the door but its hard. I didnt have a technical background has that seems to be the "in" method but I have been proactive in taking stats courses online, getting certified in vba and financial modeling, series 7 &63 in addition to passing lv1 CFA and lv1 CAIA. I figure that if I wanted to trade as a career, a large institution would provide a solid foundation. In college and in the army I traded equities and options on a small scale. It was a learning experience and of course I didnt make it big unless I would still be doing it but I didnt go broker either. I have been pondering whether I should leave the stability of a consisent paycheck and work for a prop shop. On this site there have been mixed reactions. But I love the markets and I hate my job which is pushing me more towards going to a prop shop as that seems to be the only way to gain experience. Because I work for a large firm I can't even get back into trading options or futures to learn more because of restrictions. I would love to work for an institution first but jobs are few and between at the moment. Any advice would be greatly appreciated....