Help in Houston

Discussion in 'Professional Trading' started by rawman74, Aug 20, 2005.

  1. I'm looking to for a job in trading in Houston. I would prefer to trade for myself but don't mind the idea of trading for someone else to get started. I had Series 7 and Series 66 licenses but they expired back in October 2004. I applied with Zone in Austin but they didnt hire (I think it's because I indicated I wasn't looking to just scalp and generate commissions for them not sure if I was too smart for my own good or just naive?) My real time trading experience is limited to a liqudity trading racket back in 2002. I just got my degree at U of H this August in Economics and History. I started learning about the markets back in 2000 taking phone calls at Van Kampen.
     
  2. volente_00

    volente_00

    Try Assent, but you will need to put some risk capital up.
     
  3. Thanks for the response. I noticed Assent had a posting on Monster recently. I guess I'm just frustrated with the lack of opportunities here in the nation's fourth largest city. Maybe I don't know where to look? I see opportuinities in smaller cities such as Austin, San Fran and Miami. Maybe firms have tried Houston in the past and realized the market isn't there?
     
  4. Houston is an energy trading town.
     
  5. newguy1

    newguy1

    last I checked, I thought velocity futures had a prop trading group.

    I don't know how that all works, but I'm sure you could ask them.
     
  6. Called them last week and they said they weren't currently hiring prop.
     
  7. newguy1

    newguy1

    they've got retail accounts. Perhaps you could open one with them and trade in their office with other traders. Its not prop, but its not as bad as being all alone or going to an equity shop that requires a contribution. ( i got nothing with shops that require a contribution, its just he wanted to be fully backed).
     
  8. tomcole

    tomcole

    Its not really a job if you have to put up any of your own money.
     
  9. newguy1

    newguy1

    thats one way to look at it.

    Some people see it as an opportunity. A business.

    Other people see prop relations, or really any relations, in a more negative light. GHCO comes to mind.

    I looked at a ton of resumes the other day that came into the shop. You'd be shocked all the people that want to come into a non-salaried position that previously had nice, salaired jobs. Theres this one energy trader that came to mind with lots of experience.

    I'd always heard of folks that wanted to venture out on their own. But who knows? I'm sure everyone has their tastes.

    It might not be as posh, but I think we all know someone on this board that trades at an arcade and makes a killing.
     
  10. Exactly: its a business. Moreover, you really cant use the experience to get a job. Most firms will look at you as a business owner, not an employee.

    Once you get established you can usually put together partnerships with others if you so desire and if there is an obvious synergy to the association ... but prop trading will have little utility in the quest for employment.

    A better job for someone just out of school would be trading assistant ......
     
    #10     Aug 22, 2005