One year is nothing. Right now, you’d be a burden to take on. Traders are not interested in your swapsies, anyone can afford a programmer. If you want a mentor, then for example you can join Mark Minervini’s private access mentoring. However, I for example wouldn’t be able to trade his breakouts as bread and butter strategy, but unlike most other mentors he at least walks the walk and put his own money on the line. If you want to learn from a mentor, then (apart from transparency) you also need to MAKE SURE THAT THE MENTOR’S TRADING STYLE FITS YOUR OWN PERSONALITY, otherwise it will be waste of time/money. PS: On a personal note, If you're good with computers, learn to use "white space" to make your posts easier to read. Also, judging from your post jargon, you're at this stage approaching the markets too much from an academic perspective. Experienced traders can see through your jargon, and I do agree with @MarkBrown's assement of you.
How were you the head of a trading desk and be asking basic questions and offering programming services instead of market insights or derivatives insights?
Some good old trader abuse is always welcomed, alas the young naievity seems to have never left me yet. Also was never the head of the desk, I was a trading risk manager. By the way if you ever want to learn more about the different ways market makers look at risk and derivatives I'm happy to share, love pass on what I saw and learned @newwurldmn @PPC
It reminds me of Nasim Taleb’s quote. A trader listened to the firm's "chief" economist's predictions about gold, then lost a bundle. The trader was asked to leave the firm. He then angrily asked his boss who was firing him: "Why do you fire me alone not the economist? He is too responsible for the loss." The Boss: "You idiot, we are not firing you for losing money; we are firing you for listening to the economist." PS: I can't speak on behalf of @newwurldmn, but I'll politely decline your offer to teach me what you learned.
"risk manager" is different from "manager." i ran an electronic market maker book (developed the second iteration of the desk), a volatility prop book, and built an event driven volatility flow trading business for a major bank before i left and started trading on my own. I've been trading vol on my own for 12 years.