I graduated from a 4-year school with a B.S. in entrepreneurship last May. Upon graduation I applied for several at several Chicago-based trading companies the spring I graduated. Quite frankly, I wasn't prepared for the interviews or the positions I applied for. After 9 months of waiting tables and looking for jobs I recently began work at Federated Investors out of Pittsburgh doing data entry and performance management. My short-term goal is to work as a trading associate at a CTA or prop trading firm by Q1 of next year. The following is my current plan for preparing myself for this role: - Expand on my understanding of C++ by teaching myself more advanced material and become an able programmer - Join a Toastmasters club to sharpen my communication skills - Continue to read books on trading, tech/fund analysis, risk theory, etc. - 3 months out from interviews, resume practice on 4-digit multiplication and logic problems Am I headed in the right direction or are there other things I could be learning/doing that would be a better allocation of my time? Any thoughts or counsel would be greatly appreciated.