So far this year as a result of live trading, I have: 1. 27% return on my account. 2. Multiple AlgoTerminal consulting contracts. 3. Collaboration interest from two hedge funds. Items one and two can continue with a full time job (maybe even item three).
I trade automated. I have to watch the systems constantly and work more hours than a normal job. Somebody who will sell you that you can just let the systems run and have another job or sit at the beach is a lying sob and should be stopped before hurting others.
You realize that there is a spectrum, don't you? And that you're at one end of it? Maybe like, Design The Market <===> Design The Day <====> Design The World So, your entries & exits are automated, but you have to monitor as long as your machine is on -- one end of the spectrum. ("Design The Market") But there are those who need only check after market (RTH) close ("Design The Day"), and those others who need check after weeklys close -- and still others who check after other big transitions for which they have written positions across, but not coded across. If you're too close to your code, hand it to someone else, and have them whiteboard what would need to happen before you could step away for the day. Then (and probably much easier), do the same sort of review for being able to go overnight. If you can define those conditions, you (as programmer/designer) can code them into place. FWIW, I am still in the *trading* design/algo development stage, but everything I do is intended to make the portfolio/inventory go "overnight+" -- so, I'm not trying to Design The World, but maybe just Design The Day. But right now, my positions algo/setups still rely on near-constant monitoring. But by having that longer lens in hand, I've gotten a way-big head start on the eventual setup.
Can you analyze what you are doing while you are watching the systems? Can these activities be automated, such that it does not require you to constantly need to supervise your trading software? When your trading software does not require constant supervision will you be able to do a step back and think on a higher level of abstraction/strategy. This enables you to develop further strategy improvements, or a next version of your system which works even better than the current one.
It depends on whether your system trades several times per day vs several times per month. There isn’t much to watch if you look at fan27’s trades posted here. And his executions are performed by a 3rd party system where he exports his strategy. Actually all your questions and comments posted here so far imply that you haven’t read this thread, so I’d just recommend reading it