Actually, the $500 estimate for beer is very conservative. Most single guys like to go out and you could easily spend $50 or more in one night. Lets say you go out 3 nights a week then $150 a week is not unimaginable. If you are dating or trying your hand in a relationship, then you might find yourself spending 200-400 dollars per week. I went out the other night by myself, met some friends at a happy hour and by the time I left at around 7-8pm then I was signing a credit card bill for about $50. Before the happy hour, I went someplace to eat and spent money. Then afterwards I decided to hang out at a local $tarbucks. There was also gas, tolls and other things. I think I probably spent upwards of $100.
my first thought was back to school then I look at the wage table and it turns out you should just keep on trading http://www.careerprospects.org/Trends/salary-high.html
Exactly. Many professional job salaries have either declined or gone nowhere last few years. But you should see what electricians and plumbers are pulling in ! It's all about the outsourcing.....
Go to school. If you do it right, you will have a hell of a lot of fun, and it should be one of the better times in your life. Parties, girls, and making college buddies is not something I would want to give up. But since you have done the first year, you may have already done that. Or you may have been unfortunate to go to a commuter school or something. Anyway, college will at least prevent you from having an inferiority complex when you get old and go to cocktail parties. Also, probably needed to manage money, but there are always exceptions... Since you're only doing 50k a year, the answer isn't really clear cut, and depends on what you want out of life. Anyway, my point is don't worry about society, or going to college to learn. Have fun, because you'll wish you did when you get older, wealthy or not.
I look at college as something that will complement your strength so you can capitalize your skillset more effectively, not as a place to get a certificate of "Social/Workplace acceptance".
You only 19 Be Smart FINISH SCHOOL then trade if you want but you be smarter than most 19 year olds and: FINISH SCHOOL !!!
Trade stock. Why go to school? Job. Pussy. Knowledge. You won't need to ever work a job in your life if you can trade. If you have game you can pickup girls anyways. Knowledge... well are you more of a geek or a trader? Also, what's to say that trading fulltime now won't let you have more of a chance to learn on your sparetime, or even fulltime, in your future... out of passion, because you're rich, retired, and happy, and decide that for a year you want to focus more on longer-term trades and less on intraday noise and, in that time, take night classes/read lots of books/etc. I took the no-school, trade stock option, and I'm 18... best decision of my life.
What make you believe he has an edge? I made one of my best performing year when I began. I didn't know anything about trading. I was just buying in a bull market and holding til positions became profitable. If he knows he has a real edge, with numerous trades, solid bases... he can continue but my advice would be to get a degree.