I think you mean IF they actually take the time to LEARN from an actual formal trading or mentorship program. Having a cash account is just a quick means to lose money as a margin account. 90% of new traders, will blow 90% of their trading capital within 90 days because they "think" they can learn on their own how to become consistently profitable.
You can use a Long Put option instead. Options have an expiry date until which the option is valid, unlike stocks. Long Call option is when going long, much like buying a stock. Long Put option is when you think the underlying stock will fall, much like stock shorting. These Call and Put options can also be shorted, then their meaning "reverses" (or "inverts").
'Which reduces your money making potential by exactly 50 % "<-------- I was referring to this statement. On another note you can always short the market buy going long SH or PSQ.
https://www.interactivebrokers.com.au/en/trading/marginRequirements/marginDayTradeFAQ.php#:~:text=FINRA has provided brokerage firms,ability to remove this flag. PDT rules don't apply to Futures or Futures Options. Apparently you can't trade Futures or Options with a cash account. I don't really know, I don't have one. It looks like cash accounts will have it very difficult if not imposible to short a market.
That's actually what you CAN do, because futures are inherently a leveraged with built-in margin. You don't get a "margin" account in futures because you already abide by margin requirements with your cash. I believe there are more exotic and complicated account setups for futures accounts at full-service brokers, such as using Treasuries as collateral, but I am not sure on those bits.
Those with cash accounts are usually less sophisticated and undercapitalized, so the Fed led us to believe when it was implemented in 2000 (I can't recall the exact date) in the midst of market meltdown due to dot.com burst. But the real reason for the PDT, along with short sale restriction and others like circuit breakers, is to stop short sellers from pummeling the market. That's all they are.
I'm pretty certain you need to have a margin account to trade futures. With options, you can only buy covered (??) calls or puts if you have a cash account. You just can't sell.