Trading is so controversial that I never mention it to anyone... when I have to state what I do for a living I say I'm a tax writeoff...
I actually really don't like talking about trading to people who don't trade... I am currently looking to leave my full term employment and to go into trading and other stuff. When my friends ask what I'm doing, I tell them that I'm just going to my own stuff.. I don't feel comfortable telling them the truth. I suppose that's just the thing about trading.. it's really something one discusses with others
+1 Yes, not having a boss. Also: +2: Not having a client or customer +3: Not having to commute @ $4/gal +4: Not having to travel for business (thank God!) +5: Not having to sing happy birthday every month to staff +6: Not having to expose yourself to disease each day +7: Not having to attend stupid holiday parties with staff +8: Not having to work 80 hours a week to make the nut +9: Not having to pay dry cleaning bills +10: Not having to pay 15 bucks for a crappy lunch +11: Not having to sit in staff meetings at 8AM on Monday +12: Not having to live your life only on weekends +13: Not having to monitor every word you say for PC +14: Not having to polish every sentence you write +15: Not having to say "sorry" to some asshole you offended +16: Not having to pretend you're part of a sucky team +17: Not having your computer apps restricted by an IT dept +18: Not jumping to respond to your phone or blackberry
I swing trade with options so I don't spend anywhere near the time making or managing my trades as what a day trader does. As a result I have kept my "day job" at one of the largest tech companies in the world. I put "day job" in quotes because I usually work from home, and 90% of what I do involves phone conferences. So with two diversified income streams I still don't have to "go into the office". Oddly I find that most people do not understand either of my jobs due to the technical nature of both. When I try to talk about either one, people's eyes just tend to glass over with a lack of understanding. So now when people ask how I make so much money and never have to go anywhere I just say "I work on computers" and that is usually enough to make them change the subject. If that doesn't work just start talking in real technical terms, you can get them to never ask you about your work again.