Hi everyone. Iâm new to this forum and was looking for a little bit of advice. Iâm about to graduate from Northern Illinois University with a bachelors in Finance and a minor in Economics. Itâs my long term goal to one day become a trader within Chicagoâs derivatives markets. Although I do have great internship experience working as a consultant for GEICO by developing and implementing a marketing plan for them, I also realize that I might not have the skills on my resume that many firms would look for. My question is what can I do to improve my chances of becoming a trader in the next few years? My back is obviously up against a wall trying to apply against students coming out of Ivy league schools, but I was wondering what I could possibly do to get more noticed by prop firms. Iâm looking at getting a Masters in Financial Engineering or Mathematical Finance in the next few years, but what else could I do to make myself stand out. I've already started a FOREX simulator and plan on getting my Associate PRM Certificate soon. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.